NPR played Glouster law conflict

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bhapps24

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Location
Pepperell, MA
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I heard it on the radio on the way home nothing new said but it has gotten some attention going. Its interesting how the lobsterman can see bubbles while traveling 20mph
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6687073

Nation
Small-Town Rule Pits Divers Against Lobstermen
by Melissa Block

All Things Considered, December 27, 2006 · A small-town controversy in Massachusetts has lobstermen and divers on different sides.

State law says divers need to have one floating flag per group, but the city of Gloucester goes further with a "one flag per diver" rule. Divers say it makes moving underwater with all those lines cumbersome and potentially dangerous.

Lobsterman say it's necessary because they don't want to hit any of the divers with their boats.

Melissa Block talks with lobsterman Peter Prybot of Gloucester about why he likes the ordinance, then talks with diver David Millhouser about how the rules complicate life for divers.

Waiting for Spring
 
I heard it as well. I did not think the diver representative sufficiently emphasized the limited number of divers who steal from traps. He mentioned the notion of lobsterman pulling traps that do not belong to them and fisherman pulling traps, etc. but not enough in my opinion.

Lobsterman threaten lives with their practices (this of course was never mentioned from the NPR rep) and the small % of divers threaten profit. A little bit of a disconnect here...When a lobsterman spends the rest of his life in jail for doing something stupid, there will certainly be more attention. Or if divers began doing stupid things like cutting trap lines or drilling holes in the hulls of lobster boats at night there would be more attention.

As a diver, of course my view could be considered biased, but it seems to me lobsterman should recognize what divers *could* be doing if things got out of hand.

--Matt
 

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