MLA Jr Harvester: Russell Bartovics

Russell Bartovics, North Haven, is a lobsterman. The fact that he is just ten years old and in fifth grade doesn’t matter. Ask him about his boat, traps and bait and he will answer with the surety of a lobsterman decades older.

Heading in!

He got his license when he was eight but, as he is quick to point out, “I had traps for years before that under my dad’s license.” Russell learned the basics of lobstering early on from his father, Foster Bartovics, who goes with him now when he’s tending his ten traps.

Some lobstermen may grumble getting out of bed early in the day but not Russell. “It’s fun to wake up before everyone else is up and be out on the water,” he said. He fishes from a 16-foot wooden skiff that has been in use for nearly fifty years. It was built on North Haven in 1969 by Leon Crockett, who eventually passed her down to his son, Rex. Rex later sold the skiff to Cyrus Brown, who sold it to Russell in 2024.

Russell knows he has a good boat to fish. “I have to give the boat some epoxy and paint every year. But she’s in good shape. Her name is Minor Threat,” Russell said.

Russell’s season begins after school gets out and runs through the summer into September. He knows the bottom around North Haven well, where there’s mud and ledge, the spots where his traps fish will better than in other places. “It’s never boring,” he said. “It’s fun when you haul the trap and guess what you might have.”

Photos by F. Bartovics

Living on an island means getting bait and fuel is a little bit different for Russell and his father. “The lobster buyers bring bait. We sell our lobsters to them. Brown’s Boatyard, where I keep my boat in the winter, sells fuel,” he explained.

Russell is confident that he has found his calling. “As long as the lobstering is good, I plan to do this for the rest of my life,” he said. “You’ve got to love it to do it because it’s hard. You have to keep going no matter the ups and downs.”