Local Industry in the Quoddy Loop
Past
To fully understand the past and present industry you need to know a bit about the Passamaquoddy Indians who first inhabited the land and water in and around Campobello Island, Eastport and Lubec, Maine. The name that this tribe chose … “Passamaquoddy” refers to a traditional way of catching a kind of fish (called Pollock) by using a spear. The best translations available resolve to “pollock-spearer” or “those of the place where polluck are plentiful.”
The term “quoddy” by itself in the Malecite language of the Passamaquoddy Indian tribe means “fertile place.”
Hence, the phrase “Quoddy Loop” was coined to mean a fertile place or loop around Campobello Island, Eastport and Lubec where Lobster, Atlantic Pollock, Herring, Cod, Haddock and other fish are abundant. Fishing is the #1 industry in the region and will likely continue to be well into the future.