Virginia OliverOne of the world’s oldest lobster fishermen who caught the crustacean in Maine nearly a century ago has died. It was 105.
A native of Rockland, Maine, Oliver began catching lobster at age 8 alongside her father and older brother at a time when few women worked on the water in the male-dominated industry. She fell in love with the work and became known as the “Crayfish Lady” as she faithfully tended the traps for decades.
“I love doing this, and I love being along the water,” she told The Associated Press in 2021. “So I’m going to keep doing this as long as I can.”
Oliver died Wednesday, according to the family’s obituary published Monday.
“Her life has been celebrated in books, articles and on social media platforms around the world,” the obituary said. “Yet, despite her fame, she remained calm and humble, greeting everyone with a quick, bright smile and literally sparkling eyes.”
While working in the water industry over the years, Oliver has watched the lobster industry evolve radically, from a working-class food to an expensive delicacy. Lobsters fetched 28 cents a pound on the docks when I first started catching them. Today, it’s 22 times the price at $6.14 per pound.
However, many aspects of the job remained the same. She had to wake up in the early morning hours — long before dawn — and use small fish called menhaden, or bogies, to lure lobsters from a boat that belonged to her late husband, Virginia.
“Virginia was more than just a local icon; she was a living part of Maine’s maritime history,” the Maine Lobster Festival said in a statement honoring Oliver, where she once served as grand marshal for the festival’s parade.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who once presented Oliver with a special state tribute for her birthday, posted on social media that the lobster lady’s life had inspired “the next century of hardworking Maine fishermen.”