The Problem of Pot Buoys in Surf Fishing Areas

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Crafty Angler

I said to RIROCKHOUND, isn't that precisely what they do with fish traps and gill nets? Steve Medeiros, RISAA's president and a Council member, said the same thing from his position on the board.

Most of the time the only reason they'll move gear is if its deemed a hazard to navigation, even then, they kick and scream while they move it.

Then again up in downeast maine you can navigate by the damn trawls.

[Nebe]

IMO, its slippery road to try to pass a law to get lobstermen to not place pots close to shore... If you look at the flipside, this is just like the proposal to limit shore fishing around fishtraps. We all went ballistic when we heard that, and some of us even said that the fish trap Co's dont own the land or the water that they are on, so why should they have 100% access to it. In a few places that I and my friends fish at there is a huge pot problem and we deal with it by scouting durring the day and then we try to remember where they are.... Sadly, one of my fishing partners lost his biggist fish of the season to a lobster pot...

There could be a comprimise though- lobstermen could at least do trawls with multiple pots to reduce the amount of bouys, or something..

They are lobstering it for $$ and we are fishing for fun, so its a slippery area like Rockhound stated.

[MakoMike]

Crafty,
As I hear it, what Mark said was "I don't think we have the authority to tell these guys what kind of gear to use and where to put it." Someone else on the panel ( I think it was George Allen) noted that "we have the authority to regulate where the fishtraps are, but I'm not sure we can regulate any other type of gear." I was tempted to stand up and say, well a fish pot is just another type of fish trap, but decided the better of it. I think everyone is hoping that this can be settled by mutual agreement rather than by new regulations.