Preserving Sardine History
Maine’s sardine canning industry, once a major economic driver, is about to disappear. And Penobscot Marine Museum is playing the key role in preserving the history of the preserved herring.
Canning began in Eastport in 1875, and by the 1950s it was Maine’s largest seafood industry. At its height, thousands of employees worked in 75 Maine canneries – one or more in nearly every coastal town of any size. And the canneries supported thousands more jobs, not the least being the fishermen who caught them.
Maine’s last cannery, in Prospect Harbor, is Stinson Seafood Company, named for Calvin Stinson, who purchased the facility in 1927 and would later become known as Maine’s “sardine king.” The plant was destroyed by fire in 1968 and rebuilt as a modern factory. Now owned by Bumble Bee Foods, it features state of the art equipment. But it will close in April.
Reasons for the closing are many. The herring supply itself has shrunk, and access to what remains is restricted at the federal level in an attempt to rebuild the stocks. (Sardines, by the way, are small, processed herring.) The consumer market for canned sardines has been relatively flat for years. And canneries face competition for supplies from the lobster fishing industry, which uses the same fish for bait.
Recognizing the impending end of an industry that had so great an influence on the coastal Maine economy, Penobscot Marine Museum has spearheaded a project to document the cannery and the history of its workers. Partners in the project include the University of Maine’s New Media Department and Maine Folklife Center; the SALT Institute in Portland; documentary photographer Markham Starr; and Compass Light Productions and Michael Alpert, working for the Historic American Engineering Record of the Library of Congress. The Maine Sea Grant Program provided funding for the Historic American Engineering Record work.
The Compass Light Productions video shows how sardines are canned today. While there is more automation than there was one hundred and thirty five years ago, the work still requires fast, focused and dedicated workers.
Penobscot Marine Museum is active in several other efforts to preserve the heritage of Maine’s sardine industry. The museum is attempting to stabilize and restore the Jacob Pike, an 80-foot long wooden ship of a type known as a sardine carrier. These vessels collected the catches of a number of fishing boats and transported them to the canneries, allowing the fishing boats to return to sea more quickly. Penobscot Marine Museum also houses the archives of the Maine Sardine Council, and maintains archives of historic photographs of the sardine industy in the Atlantic Fishermancollection.
But with the closing of Maine’s last cannery, an industry and the skills of its workers will be lost. “Sardineland” – once nearly synonymous with Maine – will be no more.
Museum to Raffle “2009 Boat of the Year”
One lucky individual will soon have the rare experience of paddling his own birchbark canoe, just like the ones built by Penobscot Indians in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Penobscot Marine Museum has announced that it will raffle the canoe to raise funds for a popular public demonstration, and the drawing will be held July 1, 2010 — in good time for the canoeing season.
“This is an extraordinary chance to own a piece of Maine history and American heritage,” said Niles Parker, executive director of the museum.
At 16 feet overall, the canoe is authentic down to the last detail. Real birchbark is lashed to white cedar gunwales with split spruce root, and seams are sealed with a mixture of pine sap and fat. No nails or other metal were used anywhere in its construction.
Named a 2009 “Boat of the Year” by Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine, the birchbark canoe was built at the Penobscot Marine Museum by a team of Native Americans from Maine and New Brunswick, led by master builder Steve Cayard of Wellington, Maine. The two-week-long demonstration was one of the museum’s most popular events last summer. “By raffling this canoe, we’ll be able to host another demonstration in 2010,” said Parker.
In addition to the canoe as the Grand Prize (valued at $9,950), the raffle includes a 1st Prize of Sponsor-level museum membership (valued at $250), and a $150 gift certificate to the Museum Store. Tickets are $100, and sales are strictly limited to 200. The canoe will be displayed at various locations throughout the state until the drawing. For more information, contact the museum at 207-548-2529.
Buy Raffle Tickets
- Purchase by phone: call 207-548-2529
- Order by mail: Download this form for details.
Museum Hours & Other Facts
Exhibits closed at this time. Open May through the third Sunday in October. Come visit us in 2010.
- Museum Hours
- Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm
Admissions
Admission tickets are sold at our Museum Store on Main Street. Upon arrival, please proceed to the Admissions desk for your daily sticker.
- Ticket Prices
- Adult – $8.00
Children (7 yrs-15 yrs) – $3.00
Children (6 yrs & under) – FREE
PMM Members – FREE
Family Rate (2 parents + children under 18 yrs in same household) – $18.00
Group Rate – $5.oo per person for parties larger than 10 people.
School Groups and Summer Camps – Please call ahead for pricing and reservations. Contact Betty Schopmeyer for details: (207) 548-2529, ext.206.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the mission of the Penobscot Marine Museum?
- What is the museum like?
- What are the highlights of your collection?
- Are there special activities for children?
- Are you handicapped-accessible?
- Does the museum have a gift shop?
- Does the museum have a restaurant?
- How about lodging?
- What is the history of the Penobscot Marine Museum?
Penobscot Marine Museum Store
40 East Main Street
Searsport, ME 04974
(207) 548-0334
