Well this stinks!!!!

[King Kong Matt]

http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dmf/recreationalFishing/rec_index.htm

Will give you info about lobstering reqs in MA.

The upper limit actually appears to be 5".

 

[Rick L]

Only area 1 has a 5" limit from the tip of the cape cod down there is no upper limit!! As far as lobsters being used I said i give
half to the boat (so they want to keep bringing me) There is 4 people in my family and i dont go diving every day I try for every weekend!! I enjoy lobster diving getting lobsters for my family and friends. I average about 5 lobsters a dive sometimes more sometimes less. I think the most ive ever gotten was 26 over 4 dives. Thats in hundreds of dives!! The visibility is so bad up here some times the only thing to do is lobster. To blame the non commercial people for what we know is the commercial fisherys fault is bull!!!! All these ideas are coming from them!!!!!!!!!!!
Rick L

 

[King Kong Matt]

10 lobsters seems pretty as a reasonable as a limit.

As you say, you usually "average" about 5, and you feel you have enough to give half your catch to the baot captain.

Sounds like putting a limit of double your average isn't going to be too damaging.

 

[Spectre]

There's catch limits on most everything. I don't really have a problem with diving catch limits [but hell, I've never taken more than 2 a day diving anyway!].

I'd actually be really interested in seeing how they inforce it. If Bushman & I go out; dive for lobsters then check the traps, how do they know which we got diving and which we got trapping???

Oh... FYI. When Rick says from the tip of the Cape down, he's referring to the outside [ocean side] of the cape. And you can't have a permit 5" exemption permit and a 'regular' permit. e.g. if you have a permit for the backside of the cape, and you choose to sign up to take larger lobsters; you're license isn't valid in the areas that have the 5" max restriction...

Rick... next time you pull 20; give me a call and I'll get the other 10 on shore for you... and I'll only charge you 5 or 6 bugs!

 

[Rick L]

Pretty soon you wont be able to dive for lobsters anymore!!
They will ban it just wait and see. All they hear is the commercial
people. I also notice that most the comments here are from non
lobster divers!! Just like hunting people dont care if its banned because they dont do it!! Why is it ok to take as many lobsters any size you want below the cape? Maybe its because thats where all the rich own vacation property?
Rick L

 

[Scubaroo]

I hunt lobsters, just the Californian variety. I also fish and shoot. I'm also a conservationist.

There is a bar near my office that has a fishing theme - one of the pictures on the wall is of a fisherman next to a giant sea bass hanging from a tree that must measure 7' long. There's probably only a handful left on earth approaching that size. Recreational, chartered sport, and spearfisherman all played their role in their demise, along with the commercial boats.

 

[Soggy]

Rick L once bubbled...
I also notice that most the comments here are from non
lobster divers!!

Why do you say that?

 

[PK]

You must be a great lobster diver! Wow. And I can see your point of view.

The "conservation" motivation behind the new standards are barely veiling the commercial lobsterers motivation to just reduce competition. However, there must be threatening competition for them to bother, so it makes me wonder if the non-commercial lobster diving really is affecting the commercial lobster fishermen.

However, if you have data to support your argument, you should use it to try to change the new standards. Write a letter to your congressman or perhaps start a petition.

 

[MASS-Diver]

While I seldom get ten bugs a day (although I can see how someone could easily get that many over the course of 3 dives) it just seems like another example of going after the little guy.

I don't belive that the legal taking of lobsters by divers over the last 10years has been a singnifican factor in their decline. I don't think rec lobstering derserves any of the blame for the state of this fishery. It's all about the commerical industry trying to point the finger at someone else.

 

[Spectre]

I've looked at the catch reports before. I don't remember the exact numbers, but in 2000 it was something like less than 1% of the annual catch was taken by divers and recreational lobster license holders.

I don't remember the full details, but I quoted them when discussing with my local representative when a recreational lobstering license bill was up for vote in new hampshire.