Shoemaker Ebenezer Thorndike invented the lobster trap in 1808. He owned a dried fish business and a fish market in Charleston, Massachusetts. The original design was constructed with open parallel slats that would allow fish, crabs and seaworms to enter the trap and devour the bait. In 1887, Joseph M. Steward’s introduced a fine mesh bait box to prevent small fish from entering the trap and eating the bait intended for the lobster. The lobster could still access the bait box but not escape. The improved patented version has been adapted from wood to metal and is still in use for lobster fishing today.
US Patent Number: 363,858
Invention: Lobster Trap
Inventor: J. M. Steward
Year: 1887
Material: Ink on Japanese museum-quality archival paper. Thickness of paper: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm). Weight of paper: 5.57 oz/yd² (189 g/m²)
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