Lobster poaching starts early

[Wookie]

@Wookie
And 3 more go down for starting a little early.
Why would anyone risk jail time for a meal?
They got busted before lobster miniseason even began
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This absolutely baffles me ? WHY?
The devious criminal mind !
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re Big Bugs -- Personal Best

Mine is 17.3 ounces captured some years ago at San Clemente Island, California

In the early days of California diving I experimented with preserving marine life for display ,lectured locally to dive clubs and at UICCs for LA Co UIA and NAUI, published a number of articles in national and local magazines and my techniques were also featured in at least two books that I am aware; Diving west and SCUBA Safe and Simple.

I mounted the 17.3 lobster on a 4 foot diameter board and had it on display in my den for a while-- even hung high it was overwhelming so I loaned it to my dear friend and diving buddy the late Ron Merker (@Dr bills basic instructor) where it was on display for many many years in his shop the Aquatic Center . All good this come to an end, Ron sold the shop,. I retrieved the mount and now for the last ten or more years is on display at Depth Perceptions in San Luis Obispo California. A silent tribute to a gallant lobster and an era that will never ever be experienced again on this earth

Samuel Miller, III

I'm going to guess that that bug was 17 lbs, 3 Oz., and that makes me say wow....

 

[Wookie]

Records are, 44 lbs for a North American, 26 for a Florida Spiny, and 16 for a California Spiny. I'm surprised, I thought California Spineys were larger than Florida Spineys.

 

[MaxE]

And 3 more go down for starting a little early.

Why would anyone risk jail time for a meal?

The lobsters would have been good for what a few meals? A days worth?
Per the article they will be getting more than a few days worth of meals at tax payers expense

 

[Sam Miller III]

I suspect that is what was registered... What is your reference to the 16 for California bug ?

In the beginning in the 40s and to the mid 1950s California had a maximum size limit -- and dang CRS has set in and I cant recall the upper size. In 1954 ? Bill Barada (American Father of the dry suit and LA Co UW instructor ) was president of LA Council of divers - met with the California Fish & game (Cal F&G) to established modern catch and size limits. As I recall from so many years gone by we, divers, gave up taking bay scallops and shooting Garibaldis and the F&G established modern size and catch on lobsters - 3-1/4 minimum carapace size and ten lobsters per day .

From that time on the game was on...

After Korea I began diving with the 'Southern California Skin divers" whos patch was a California bug and who's mission and goal was to catch every bug in California-- and we did .

The tribe was lead by the late great Charlie Sturgil (LA CO UW Instructor) who began diving in 1929--he won the 1952 international Spearfishing championship with a pole spear - only person in the history of spearfishing competition to win a meet with a pole spear -- and he was even better with bugs (some of you may recall my article in Discover Diving-- "The Mask"-- Charlie made about 40 custom mask - I was honored to have one which I used for ten years)

My diving companions were Jack Waite and Harry Vetter (LA CO UW Instructor and NAUI instructor # 4 -- mine is # 27.and of course Charlie

I understand you can google Skin Diver magazine --Jack is all over the issue and the last page has Harry, Charlie and the SoCal Skin divers.

We all became very efficient in taking bugs-- always got limits and always big ones

Post Scrip
Charlie passed away about 1974 - A local dive club has an annual pole spear meet that was won by his grand daughter using one of Charlies great pole spears... Laura Lee, Charlie's daughter married Billy Mistral of Body Glove.
Jack was killed in a motor cycle accident 20 or more years ago
Harry is 88. retired ad doing great .

SDM

 

[Wookie]

An article in the Orange County Register about a 15 pounder. Larry the giant lobster returned to sea – Orange County Register I expect you didn't register yours for a record.

I love hearing your old histories.

 

[Sam Miller III]

That bug did looks like a 16 pounder -- several years ago diver displayed want appeared to be a 6 to 8 or so lobster in the paper -- it was joke of major proportion among the local diving population and many wrote the news paper to complain..

There have been many bugs taken in the 15 and over class, seldom much past mine at 17 +

For your informnation and to put you to sleep or at lest doze off , I am sending an old article on bugs


"I had the honor of being the first person in the US to have a weekly dedicated diving column in our local news paper titled "Dive Bubbles," which I contributed to for about 5 years.

Long before CDN and crew made a plea for restraint in taking of the larger lobsters many of my columns were devoted to restraint in game taking- Both in quanity and size. No longer can WSB be speared at Divers cove, or can Abalone, Scallops, Pismo Clams and Oysters be harvested off Laguna Beach, or probably any Southern California beach--they are all gone- a thing of the past --what was then is not now, and never be experienced again on this earth..So with restraint preserve what remains

What follows was from my column and my personal request for restraint in capturing and and especially KEEPING large lobsters

MY NEW DIVING HERO

By
DR. SAMUEL MILLER

I have a new diving hero. No, you won't see his picture on the cover of a diving magazine nor will you see him in action in one of the many diving documentaries that grace our TV screens. He’s not even well known for his diving activities.

While many of you were relaxing in the warmth and comfort of your home, he was diving in the water surrounding Santa Rosa Island.

With flashlight in one hand and a lobster bag in the other, he entered the cold of the ocean in search of lobsters.

California Fish and Game laws decree that a lobster must be taken by hand, and must be greater than 3 ¼ inches in length measured from a point behind the horn ridge to the end of the carapace. The mature legal lobster weights less than two pounds, is between four and seven years old. It has the opportunity to mate at least once producing two lobsters that will also reach sexual maturity creating a sustained the yield of the tasty morsels

My diving hero eagerly swam around, over and even into the large caves of the reefs, searching for the carrion of the deep. His first day of hunting produce four legal size bugs including a very presentable six pound seven ounce male.

On the very first dive of the second day he headed underwater towards shore, the conditions weren't ideal, a slight surge was present and visibility was reduced requiring a flashlight in order to see, making swimming difficult. Nevertheless, he continued swimming until he reached an area that looked promising, huge boulders creating large caves in which bugs make their homes. As he was swinging his light from side to side he caught a glimpse of a monster bug sitting regally on top of a ledge out cropping like a mustang over looking his herd. Carefully laying down his light he slowly and methodically approached the bug to do battle. With the experience gained from over thirty years of strong active diving he expertly approached the bug who was also alerted that an intruder was in the area. The bug rose majestically on all ten legs preparing to stand ground and do battle as the antenna, the movement sensing organs, started moving in concentric arcs. Slowly, steadily my hero diver approached monster bug. The bug was also fully aware and alerted that there was a huge intruder steadily approaching. Like two fighters meeting for a championship match, they cautiously sized each other up. Within a split second the battle was over. The bug was expertly pinned. The right hand placed securely around the horns at the base of the antenna and the left grasping and forcing the tail to the reef. No need to measure this one it was unquestionably legal. The bug was given a good shake to disturb its equilibrium and instantaneously thrust tail first into the security of the game bag.

The battle had been decisive Diver 1 Bug 0!

My new diving hero returned to the boat, climbed the swim step to the deck, and unceremoniously emptied his game bag . The enormous lobster weighing in at ten pound eight ounces tumbled to the deck. His fellow divers and the crew gathered around to view close up and personal this gigantic bug from the deep. The dual digit last legs and the large swimmerets under the tail indicated this was a female, a grandmother perhaps even a great grand mother of all the uncaught lobsters still on the reef and the not so quick and certainly not very lucky on the boat.

As he held the 10 ½ pound lobster up for all to see flashes illuminated the diving boat. Other divers not so fortunate held the lobster for documentary photos, like those childhood photos with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. Soon the excitement settled down and it was back to the task at hand, bug hunting. In buddy pairs the divers once again entered the alluring frigid waters of the Pacific in search of future meals.

My new diving hero, as unceremoniously as he had entered the boat and emptied his game bag, replaced the unfortunate gigantic lobster back into the bag.

With the bag firmly grasped in his hand he boarded the dive boat’s inflatable skiff and headed for an isolated area devoid of lobster traps and seldom visited by divers. My diving hero opened the bag, gave the by then bewildered grand mother lobster a final goodbye pat and released it into the comfort and familiarity of the reef, its home hopefully forever.

My diving hero is most famous for the magnificent food served in massive quantities at his Pismo Beach landmark restaurant, F. Mc lintock’s, his name is Tunny Ortali. Just as there is only one F.Mc Clintocks there is only one Tunny Ortali, my new diving hero! A diver of the new millennium, a diver who voluntarily releases a trophy size lobster back into its natural habitat so that the species will multiply for the future generations to enjoy the exhilaration of a bug hunt.

It should be recognized the lobster population will remain stable if each legal female lobster produced, from the excess of 500, 000 eggs it carries, a minimum of two lobsters that reached maturity with in its life time. As the lobster matures and increases in weight the number of eggs carried also increases. A ten and one half pound lobster, at fifteen to twenty or more years old, could carry in excess of one million eggs; producing at each mating season approximately four lobsters that will reach sexual maturity. This grand mother has probably mated ten or more seasons and could count perhaps thirty mature lobsters as off spring. She can now be expected to produce millions of eggs for many more seasons thanks to Tunny.

Dr. Samuel Miller

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FYI; F. Mc Clintocks is the popular dining establishment located on the highway in Pismo Beach. At last report it was the 8th highest grossing single restrauant in the US. Tunny is his real name...he was named after his uncle who was KIA on June 6,1944--D day.
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Should you like to see a large mounted lobster, It is suggested that you visit Depth Perceptions in San Luis Obispo- The shop has a 17 pound lobster mounted and displayed high on the wall.

This is the last known mounted big bug of an by-gone era.
Some of you may recall it being displayed for 25 plus years
in the Aquatic Center, Newport Beach when it was owned by Ron Merker, father of Lance and grand father Kyle. (and Dr.Bill's SCUBA instructor)

It is now high on the wall in Dive Perceptions in San Luis Obispo- where it has been for 10 or more years
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So if you must capture a bug over 10 pounds--better yet any over 8 pounds, take back to your boat, take a hero picture, then swim it to a rocky reef and deposit it back in a large hole.

Practice --Capture... Picture... Release Just may be, Maybe,young 14 year old Kyle's Grand children will be honored to see the same 'ole bug.......

Thank You,
SDM
Copyright, 2011, Samuel Miller & Lee Enterprize News
The article in part or whole maybe NOT BE reproduced or used with out permission of the author and Lee Enterprize News
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There is nothing worse than a reformed drunk or a reformed bug catcher … I do not drink so I am a reformed bug catcher ….

Sam Miller,III

 

[Wookie]

Awesome. Great write-up.

I should say, great article.

 

[Johnoly]

Very calm and quiet in the Jup/Wpb area. Only about 30 boats on the water compared to 300 on a typical Sat. None dead. Heard a slip and fall and a notso missing diver near Haulover.
Easy limit plus 1 over cause I have the LF get out of jail coin. Tomorrow wil be easy. 2knt curr,,60ft viz, 74 bott temps. Boats have space,,call your favorite!

 

[Altamira]

Out of state, no license, out of season game, undersize lobster and fish, no dive flag

What is the expected fine?
loss of boat and equipment plus hefty fine ? or a gentle slap on the wrist?
Remember well --- Poaches have rights too...????????

I guess the question is WHY would a person poach ?

SDM

Because they are narcissistic A-holes would be my guess.

 

[gypsyjim]

Come folks lighten up, these are not criminals or "poachers", these folks are simply poor, undocumented early harvesters who are taking the critters that the rest of us won't take.....