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Virginia Oliver, who turned 103 on June 6, has been lobster fishing since she was eight years old. Growing up in Maine, Mr. Oliver rode on his family’s boat with his older brother and his father, who was a lobster dealer.
Nearly a century later, Oliver remains committed to the fisherman lifestyle and is gearing up for the 95th lobster season in just a few weeks. Washington Post report.
Lobster fishing is by no means an easy profession for even the youngest and most agile people.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Labels lobster fishing It is considered a “dangerous occupation” due to the danger of being dragged overboard or entangled in a line of traps. Still, Oliver has dedicated his life to the job and doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.
“You have to keep moving,” Oliver told the magazine. “I’m going to do this until I die.”
Oliver has four children (three of whom were lobster hunters) and two grandchildren. When I’m not eating lobster, I enjoy baking and cooking for my family who come over for dinner every Saturday.
Oliver worked with her husband, fellow fisherman Max Oliver, for 61 years until his death in 2006. Since then, her Oliver’s son, Max Jr., 80, has worked alongside her as a lobster fishing partner.
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During peak lobster season (usually June through September), Oliver and his son hit the Maine waters three days a week in the morning beginning around 3am.
“I don’t want to go for five days because that’s my normal job and I don’t need to,” Oliver says in his 2021 short. documentary, Conversation with Lobster Lady.
Oliver’s youthful spirit and commitment to making lobsters has captured media attention and inspired children over the years. Book of the title Lobster Lady: A 102-Year Legend in Mainewas published last year.
In the 2021 documentary, Oliver chuckles about stitching up after being bitten by a crab while on a field trip.
”[The doctor said], “What are you doing there in the first place?” So I said, it’s because I want to go. He really pissed me off,” she says with a laugh during the film, “I’m pretty independent,” she said.
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