There are also vast quantities of oysters in the Maryland portion of the bay, making the state the leading provider of oysters in the country.
In the days before and during World War II, when Jacob Have I Loved takes place, the fishing industry on the smaller islands of the Chesapeake Bay was in an economic downturn. Wholesale fish prices rose because of the situation, and the cost of maintaining and operating the big nets increased. In the smaller island communities, such as the one depicted in the novel, many of the fishing boats operated as family businesses, manned by fathers and sons. The war interfered with these businesses. Like Louise's friend Call in the novel, fishermen were drafted into the armed forces, which left the older men to pursue their fishing work shorthanded. This, in turn, resulted in lower productivity overall. On the western shores of Virginia the fishermen-called netters-survived because of the great runs of river herring. Just when the days of netting crab were coming to a close, a new way of crab fishing appeared. The modern crab pot virtually turned around the industry in the islands, and the innovation remains highly successful to this day.
This is a free page. This page contains 192 words. This
article contains 2,658 words (approx. 9 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Jacob Have I Loved Access Pass.
