gloucester times article and public hearing

[ScubaNorth]

An article on CDNN from the Boston Globe has a quote by some head of the Lobsterman's Association and if this is really about safety why on earth is trap raiding coming up? I would love for one of these jerks to drag one person caught raiding traps in to one of these meetings. The attitude seems to be there are Traps, and there are bubbles near by, the diver exits with Lobster and the fisherman finds his trap empty therefore the diver stole the lobsters. That is like the same as saying Lobsterman A's boat was in the area of Lobsterman B's traps and B's traps were empty so Lobsterman A stole B's lobsters. Do you know how much junk is on the bottom at just about every dive location? Who is leaving this junk smashed traps, ropes, etc. It is the Lobstermen and this bothers no one. If they are so concerned about the industry stop being such pigs and destroying habitiat.

 

[chipwd]

In my limited experience, I have to agree with ScubaNorth. I dove Nubble light off York Maine last fall and we saw a lot of broken traps in the channel. Trap debris everywhere.

 

[MSilvia]

If they are so concerned about the industry stop being such pigs and destroying habitiat.

In all fairness, as far as lobsters (and lots of other marine animals) are concerned, debris IS habitat. Go to the "cleanest" spot in the area, with the most homogeneous bottom substrate, and count the critters. Try the same exercise near a pile of irregular debris like a shipwreck or some old fouled traps and let me know how the results differ.

 

[ScubaSarus]

Yea

I cant even count how many times I dove and discovered abandoned lobster traps with all sorts of critters (not lobsters) trapped in them. It does look quite bad but we do look at whats in the traps.

They may want to modify the law then to say no lobster diving from the shore only from boats. I'm not a big fan of lobster eating as Ive stated its the butter that people like more. Nothing like putting lobster on your melted cup of soothing butter. Hmmmmmm

Lobstermen should be allowed a certain amount of traps per year and after they are lost and abandoned no more until next year. I thought the litter in outerspace was bad.

 

[ScubaSarus]

I need to add I think its obvious that the ocean is getting over fished and there is less lobster to go around. The increase in overhead also magnifies the problem. The pollution in the water (gas, oil, diapers, human waste, viral and bacterial outbreaks, cleaning chemicals, industrial chemicals) you name it magnifies the problem. The ecosystem may be out of balance. I spoke for a while with an old timer at Folley's
Cove and addressed this issue and the Old Timer was adamant that lobsters are not plentifu as they used to be.

I've seen a difference in the last 6 yrs Ive been diving and rarely see keeper size lobster during my shore dives. I think we need to point fingers at the human race in general as the cause for ther being hard time in lobster land. I've only known 1 diver who poached any lobster he could find and that was already discussed in this forum a few yrs back and feel that guy wont poach with other divers around anymore and hopefully wont poach again as word of mouth got around fast in our small dive community.

Making a living of lobsters in an age were the overhead is so high is practically non-feasible in our heavily populated area (New England).

Im still baffled how 3 large areas of wall to wall anenomes (thousands of them) suddenly dissappeared at Ft Wetherill. The ecosystem lately isn't balanced or condusive to the survival of ocean life. Only My Opinion.

 

[ScubaNorth]

In all fairness, as far as lobsters (and lots of other marine animals) are concerned, debris IS habitat. Go to the "cleanest" spot in the area, with the most homogeneous bottom substrate, and count the critters. Try the same exercise near a pile of irregular debris like a shipwreck or some old fouled traps and let me know how the results differ.

First of all I am going to learn me to spell Habitat. Second I think you are well aware of the fact that I would have trouble finding a lobster at Shaws never mind in a place as big as the Atlantic Ocean. Shipwrecks are usually left there for practical reasons that even I have to agree with. The old trap scrap I'm not convinced. That nice flat mud/sand does hold critters hence the creepy holes through which god knows what sticks its slimey little head.

 

[ScubaNorth]

Thank goodness I was starting to think I was a lobster scarecrow or something. At least I am not the only one not seeing too many keepers out there. I need to start do the charters this year, shore diving is just not ending in any results lately.

 

[ScubaSarus]

Well ScubaNorth its my opinion that the NE dive community needs to get together and do a lobster count.
We need to start logging the possible keepers we see and what the goal would be is to show lobstermen and the authorities that the reason for their bad seasons is because the lobsters are disappearing in general and not becasue of divers raiding traps. On our nightdives at FT Weterill we see much less keepers than 5 yrs ago; infact, I have seen NO!! keepers this year at all.

 

[ScubaNorth]

Well ScubaNorth its my opinion that the NE dive community needs to get together and do a lobster count.
We need to start logging the possible keepers we see and what the goal would be is to show lobstermen and the authorities that the reason for their bad seasons is because the lobsters are disappearing in general and not becasue of divers raiding traps. On our nightdives at FT Weterill we see much less keepers than 5 yrs ago; infact, I have seen NO!! keepers this year at all.

I totally agree that we as divers need to put together a "trade" group. Something specific to NE or even if there was a national group which could help with regional issues. I wonder how much participation we would see. I would be willing to pay my dues and even actively help with fund raisers or what have you. I wonder what it would take to get one going. I'll bounce it off my Attorney he just loves me asking him questions that detract from my day job and take money out of his pocket.

 

[mello-yellow]

I've also been told that Rockport at one time was very aggressive in making it unpleasant for divers...so much so that it caused a negative impact to the towns economy, end result was a relaxation of the enforcements.

I know Rockport population had been very unpleasant toward divers at various times, but it is news to me that "it caused a negative impact to the towns economy". How exactly did that happen?