An autobiographical story of growing up with lobsters in a small New England town. Everything you've always wanted to know about the American Lobster. Filled with 170 unique high-resolution photo images of native New England marine sea life and lobsters in all stages of life & death. Includes detailed accounts of topwater lobstering procedures and the many things that could go wrong. Also underwater SCUBA diving observations of lobsters, down on the bottom where they live. Dive into the murky New England seawater at night, and look through a divers' mask to see a priceless gift, a lobster. The story of the first ill-fated attempt to transport New England lobsters overland to California in 1873. The year after, it was tried again, a bust! Instructional views of the lobster; boy or girl? What a lobster eats, how he selects a mate, shell disease, epimorphic regeneration of new parts, and everything else they do when we aren't looking. A section on the Florida spiny vs the New England clawed lobster; which tastes better? Photos comparing each, side by side. And a no-nonsense blind taste test conducted on exactly which tastes more "lobstery". Take a stop on Route #1 in Wiscasset Maine at Red's Eats. It tells a story of the best lobster roll around, in the writers' opinion, and photos of the reasons why! The Maine Lobster Festival, an expose of an affair that's everything LOBSTER. Included are photos of the largest lobster cooker in the world, the fair grounds, and a personal story from the 2011 Lobster Festival Cooking Contest. Photos and a story of the winning recipe is included described as, "The best seafood I ever ate" Have you ever wondered if it were possible to setup a lobster aquarium in your own home? Well it is possible, and this book shows you exactly how to do it, from one who's done it for years. Includes his notes, photos, observations, setbacks, and triumphs. You'll also find little known historical facts including insightful details about the 1999 Long Island Sound lobster die-off mortality event. What caused it, and can it happen again? Also a futuristic view of the lobsters in days to come. This book details many interesting personal accounts and encounters with lobsters at the bottom, where they live. A Connecticut Yankee who'd spent over 50 years with New England lobsters in some form or another tells this story. Where they came from 511 million years ago, up until today, and where they might be tomorrow. Lastly, read about Noofie, an 8-pound American lobster from the deep waters of the Canadian Maritimes. He lived with the author for about a year. In that time, he showed the author things that he could never have imagined. You'll read about this incredible story, one that has a surprise ending. One reader's quote: "Wow! I'm not the best with words but after reading your book, this is what comes to mind: Entertaining and fun while being educational and making you reflect on life. Awesome job, Thank you!"
About the Author: Russ James lives at home with his wife and his only son, Adam. He is a retired policeman, where he worked as a sergeant for over 32 years. Among his accomplishments he's a 2nd degree black belt in Japanese style karate, a PADI certified SCUBA diver, and a licensed airplane pilot. He also became well known in the field of combat handgunnery. Using all of these he was the first officer in his department to teach defensive tactics, a police search & rescue diver, an aerial photographer, weapons armorer and firearms instructor. Early on in his police career he accepted an over-time position as the "Animal Control" officer. This proved to be the most challenging of all. With the help of his wife, they managed to place countless unwanted pets in homes of need. Most friends and neighbors were reluctant to open their doors. But once they got in, an unwanted pet and sometimes two, became a family member. Competing around the world in countries such as Venezuela, Australia, and South Africa, in the mid 1980's he scored among the top competitors in the shooting field of IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation). He was designated to be the United States Team Captain among an All-Star list of shooting notables in the USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Confederation). Some of those included Rob Leatham, Doug Koenig, and Jerry Barnhardt, and Mike Plaxco, all National & World Champions. http: //www.vtxpress.com/instructor.htm His wife, Ms Deborah James and he were married in 1978. They were friends since 1974, when they first fell in love with the undersea world, and each other. Ms James went on to become a champion in her own right. She captured four USPSA/IPSC National Championship titles, in a row. Along the way she also won two World IPSC Championship titles. She retired in 1992 a champion, and never lost a match. She is a retired teacher and keeps busy in the yard, plays tennis and golf's with friends. Russ is an NRA instructor who teaches that, "Shooting can be fun". He currently competes in the sport of "Cowboy Action Shooting" and spends most of his time at the cabin with family and friends. He goes to the seashore and fishes now and again, but does not keep his catch. He no longer SCUBA dives or traps lobsters.