Westbrook on the Waters
With four and a half miles of waterfront on Long Island Sound, fishing has always been important. Fish weirs in the rivers fed Indians and colonists after a lean winter. Seine nets hauled ashore large catches of shad, an important Spring bounty for farmer-fishermen. During the 1840’s Spencer and Denison sold shares in their large, fixed-net pound fishery that trapped thousands of shad each season and employed many men.
Oysters were farmed off-shore, lobsters were trapped and sold in local markets, and clams were taken by everyone who lived in town. Fishing for one’s supper or for the fun of landing a bluefish continues to bring locals and visitors to the waters. During the Fall, it is duck hunters who take to the waters off Duck Island.