In Reply to: What would you like to see changed as with the Lobster Fishery? posted by Chris on July 28, 2012 at 08:34:50:

Seems we allow this lobster population to be fished down to it's minimal size every year. We should be leaving the big ones as breeders. A barely legal sized one will release about 80,000 eggs, whereas an older one will release something like 600,000, according to the DFG's own biologists. On the east coast they make the big ones with a notch in the tail, that way it is easy to tell when they are to be left alone. Even the restaurants will not buy those lobsters. If we were to adopt that policy here, everyone would benefit. From the lobster fishermen to the recreational divers to the eels, octopus, sea lions and the environment as a whole. They would also start taking back the bottom from the urchins, therefore allowing more kelp to thrive.

I totally agree with Walter's assessment, these traps should have identifying tags on them, not just on the buoy. Too many are left down there. My organization has removed over one ton of traps, trap remnants and polypropylene lines from just one area of LA in the last 3 months. Would like to see a fund created through the licensing fee's to help defray the costs of people who want to remove them.