Posted by Chris K on January 09, 2001 at 15:38:13:
I think we can all agree that the lobster fishing off the CA coast is declining in quality every season both in the size of the lobsters caught and their quantity. This despite DFG regulations designed to help protect the fishery. I've always felt that the dive community was firmly behind conserving this resource. Some of the things I've heard and seen on dive boats this season have led me to believe otherwise. For example, an alleged "proponent" of diver education in Southern Calif actually was telling people on the Westerly opening night to "squeeze the eyes" of lobsters that you were having trouble getting out of holes. He explained that this would blind them with such searing pain that they would release their grip. This would be before you ever even measured them. I guess shorts were just released blinded to die a slow and painful death. This clown was observed bringing a bag of shorts onto a dive boat just this weekend. Luckily the DM had him measure them all. Out of the 7 he brought on board, 1 was legal. He then threw the other 6, minus legs and antennae, back overboard(I personally think that this guy is a sadistic animal that probably is bitter that he never got a shot to try out for the NAZI's). In fact,I've seen more than a few shorts brought on board this year, only to find out that they were not of legal size. This is great the DMs are checking but the lobsters are still being wasted and the law being broken. I'm realize that lobsters end up dying a pretty bad death and I've put more than a few in the pot myself over the years, but being cruel and wasteful with such a limited resource makes my blood boil. I don't think it's too complicated: If you think the lobster is short, let it go. If you don't know if it's short, don't kill it so you can find out, and measure them before you even put them in the bag. Give them a chance to survive so they can be caught another day.