Between the two World Wars, Maine canneries kept up with the high demand for sar

Between the two World Wars, Maine canneries kept up with the high demand for sardines as storable food for soldiers and the public. By 1950, seven factories in Lubec employed thousands of workers. The end of World War II, coupled with new flash-freezing techniques and the easing of protective tariffs, led to 33 of 48 sardine canneries closing in a 20-year span. Today the population of Lubec is a quarter of what it was in 1943, and its entire packing and aquaculture industry provides 250 jobs. R.J. Peacock, still headquartered in Lubec, now outsources its canning and packing to other countries