rgbmatt
Contributor
Unless the noose is specifically prohibited by the published fishing regs, it's legal. As it stands, the regulations only state that the lobster must be landed intact, and cannot be speared or otherwise injured. This also means that, if you catch one, you can't remove the tail before you get back to the harbor (this is necessary in order to enforce the spearing ban & size limit).
Probably, the reason why people don't get fancy with lobster catching equipment is that, in most places, finding a legal size male spiny lobster during open season is a rare occurrence. So, carrying around extra implements on the off chance that one might be found may be more trouble than it's worth. There may be some places in Hilo where you can reliably find lobsters, but here on Oahu it's really bad - much worse than most of the other marine life that you'd want to eat. It's been several years since I've seen a legal spiny lobster, and the number of babies coming in each year is very low - far less than it should be. I'd be surprised if overfishing is the sole culprit, but there's clearly a problem. If you find a good lobster spot, take good care of it - leave plenty behind and don't tell anybody where it is.
Slipper lobsters are very durable. While spinies can lose legs & antennae pretty easily, I've never had a slipper get hurt being hand caught. I've also rarely seen them in places where you'd need a special tool to catch them. Sometimes one will be in a hole with a large eel, but when that happens I figure I'll just leave it alone and chalk one up to the ocean.
Probably, the reason why people don't get fancy with lobster catching equipment is that, in most places, finding a legal size male spiny lobster during open season is a rare occurrence. So, carrying around extra implements on the off chance that one might be found may be more trouble than it's worth. There may be some places in Hilo where you can reliably find lobsters, but here on Oahu it's really bad - much worse than most of the other marine life that you'd want to eat. It's been several years since I've seen a legal spiny lobster, and the number of babies coming in each year is very low - far less than it should be. I'd be surprised if overfishing is the sole culprit, but there's clearly a problem. If you find a good lobster spot, take good care of it - leave plenty behind and don't tell anybody where it is.
Slipper lobsters are very durable. While spinies can lose legs & antennae pretty easily, I've never had a slipper get hurt being hand caught. I've also rarely seen them in places where you'd need a special tool to catch them. Sometimes one will be in a hole with a large eel, but when that happens I figure I'll just leave it alone and chalk one up to the ocean.
