diving near lobster buoys
 

Anybody know what the rule, if any are regarding how close you can be when diving for lobs to the cages or buoys set by commercial lobsterman????

I dont want to get shot or get a fine but those sob's always seem to lay traps right where the bugs hang out....go figure.

thanks for your help BWE buddies.

Matt

Somehow I dont think you are the only one who thinks about that ;)

I have set nets near them.

I know...... ask Wade he's in good with the local DFG dude.:D :D

LOL thats some funny shit..... i was gonna say the same thing!!!:biggrinjester::biggrinjester:

Lobster traps deplete the areas around them of bugs because they operate 24-7. I mean think about it..... how is a thirty minute hoop set going to compete with a baited cage that is there 24 hours a day.

After a few days the amount of bugs legal around traps drops to almost nothing. Even if only one bug finds that trap every four hours, it's still going to be full of lobsters in a few days., In contrast one legal finding your net in four hours is a slow night.

I'd say your far better off hooping or diving well away from them if possible.

One more thing though it's not illegal to dive around traps it's not legal to touch them in any manner. The DFG likes to seed traps with bugs that are just undersized and marked in areas where divers frequent. If they catch you with one of those bugs your doubly busted, as they will say not only is it a short but you raided a trap. Keep in mind that the commercials cull their catches on the spot so all their discarded bugs end up in the same area, and they are all shorts, including those marked by the DFG..

Jim

One more thing though it's not illegal to dive around traps

Jim[/QUOTE]


ooooohhhh you said it's not ILLEGAL.... My bad if i just would have read what you said a bit closer that would have helped

They check the traps in mornings not at night :biggrinjester: So you can dive around them all you want, but if by chance a comercial guy catch you raiding the trap. you might end up in the trap yourself...

There is many places they cant drop there traps! Id dive there. usually lots of bugs where the hoopers and boats cant get to.

Stay away form the commercial guy's , you're out for fun, the lobster fisherman is trying to feed his family.

Yeah... it's legal to dive near them, but it is illegal to touch the traps.

One thing I left out is traps have a legal size to their openings. The entrance can only be so big, which actually blocks really big bugs from getting in them. So as follows big lobsters that are too big to climb in sometimes can be found near them especially early in the season.

You can dive near them, but don't touch them.

Jim

I've regularly seen traps go back over the side by commercial guys working them with shorts left in them...Whether they're close to legal and expect them to molt or whether they come back on a "slow" day and poach em out...I don't know. Just saying...

Commercial traps have mandated escape ports for undersized lobster. Most shorts left in it would escape (eventually). Not sure why they would leave them in there though, makes no sense (just to eat bait then walk out or be thrown out later?). While there are always bad apples out there, I seriously doubt the majority of commercial guys would mess with shorts. There is too much on the line. They get plenty of legal "market size" lobster without the undue risk of dealing with shorts.

I think the Commerical Lobstering has a seperate size regulation Than we have. Im not to sure though.

Generally, those that are left in, are marked by them and or F&G, usually a couple of ways, one being a transferable ink that is visible under UV light; it's an instant bust, an easy nab, and constitutes several crimes; if they catch you with lobster also, it could easily be a felony.

Personally,I am glad that F & G treats lobsters and poaching so seriously.If they didnt we probably wouldnt have any.

Just look at what happened to local Abalone...

Diving near their traps is just asking for it. Sometimes its unavoidable, but if I were a commercial guy and saw bubbles or a light hanging out for a bit too long around my gear, I'd be waiting for some soon to be bruised divers to surface.

The UV light thing is weird to me and seems like they would have a hard time getting that to go in court. Unless they can absolutely, "beyond all reasonable doubt", PROVE that it is impossible for those marked lobsters to escape or somehow be reintroduced to the wild legally (ie, commercial guy clearing his trap), how can they convict anyone? Let's say you legally grab a legal sized, marked lobster that has escaped or that some commercial guy accidently threw back. You'd be fucked if DFG stopped you and did the test. Even if only the shorts were marked, you'd still be in a whole different world of trouble when accused of robbing traps than simply coming up with a short lobster. Do they have some way of combatting this?

yeah, sounds kinda like my dad sayin if we pee'd in the pool it would turn blue. ;)

If you have to ask the question......YOURE TOO CLOSE TO THEM!

Besides...your way better off finding your own little honey hole not someone elses....