Posted by Game Warden, Eric Kord on September 29, 2004 at 23:00:37:
Well, there were certainly a lot of responses to the post. Thanks for the interest.
As for tampering with a trap you might find, NO!, do not let the bugs out of the trap. Once you let us know where the trap is, we remove the lobsters ourselves, and then we tag some of the legal ones. They are tagged with an undetectable small piece of metal covered in plastic. The tags are harmless to the lobster. Once tagged, we wait for the fishermen to pull the trap, they haul in their illegal catch, and then we bust the commercial fisherman back at the dock when we find our marked lobsters in his hull. Make sense? It is best not to tamper with the trap at all. We don’t want the commercial fishermen to suspect “foul play” if everything on his trap is not in place.
As for “Jane”, sorry you feel the laws are not fair to you. If you would like to address your concerns to the “law makers”, feel free to speak at a Fish and Game Commission meeting. The meetings are open to the public. Until the laws are changed, I advise that you still buy a sport fishing license, use a gauge, take no more than 7 lobsters as day, use your hands (or hoop net) to take lobsters, and watch out for the Great Whites.
As for contacting the Department of Fish and Game by radio- if you can’t call the 1 888-334-2258 (the CalTIP line), you can try your VHF radio. If you can’t get a hold of us, try the coast guard. The only problem with using VHF is that the poacher who set the trap will be listening too. In that case, the poacher will not go near the found trap. If you are out of cell range, it may be best to wait until you get back into cell service.
Thanks for your time everybody and keep your eyes open if you can (or want to).
Warden E. Kord, Patrol Boat Thresher.