MLA Jr Harvester Ava Lindahl

Ava Lindahl, 15, of Owls Head likes to lobster. She also likes to go scalloping with her father, Tom Lindahl, as well as pogey fishing in the summer. In fact, if you asked, Ava would say she just loves to fish.

Ava at the Wheel

“I started lobstering when I was six or seven. When I was eight I had ten traps and went with my sister. This year I plan to set 150,” Ava said proudly. “My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather are fishermen. I like to make my dad proud. I want to do what he does.”

Like so many younger lobstermen, Ava’s lobstering skills have grown as the years have passed. “When I first went I got sick and stuff. But I’ve overcome that. I think I’ll lobster until I’m old.”

Ava fishes from a 23-foot Crowley, typically with her uncle or cousin on board. This year she plans to fish by herself. After dealing with various emergencies, she thinks she’s ready.

“The boat died while I was out last summer. I threw the anchor and opened the engine box. I called my dad. The engine needed to cool down. It took about 15 minutes and then it started,” she recounted. The problem was a stuck thermostat. The experience gave Ava additional confidence that she could handle unexpected situations.

Ava and her father Tom, scalloping in April. Photos courtesy of A. Lindahl.

“I love to be on the ocean,” she said. In April she went to Gloucester, Massachusetts, to go scalloping with her father. “I love scalloping, I absolutely love it. I like shucking. And the big boats in Gloucester, that was so cool,” she said.

To be a good fisherman in any fishery, a person has to be ready for hard work and early mornings. And to be successful, says Ava, you have to want to do it. “I had to miss some school to go to Gloucester but it’s OK. I will make up that work. I’ll go any chance I get.”