Fed up with lobster pots

[fisherman]

I think it is legitimate to cut the really disastrous ones, then they may learn, but some people have different ideas of what constitutes 'disastrous'. If the tide is running hard any single float has the rope vertical under it and should be hard for you to pick up,I have enough trouble getting hold when hauling them, it is unlikely you would get one in the prop.

 

[Hadenough]

If everyone just lifted the pot of poorly marked pots then the problem would reduce over time.

WTF?

 

[JumbleDuck]

None up as far as Mallaig either.

It used to be bad in places, but generally speaking the west coasters seem to be very well behaved these days.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Doesn't matter who owns it, s1.1 CDA 1971 would apply : A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence.

No problem. As if the cops would be interested, anyway.

 

[chanelyacht]

If everyone just lifted the pot of poorly marked pots then the problem would reduce over time.

And did what with them - or are we into theft now as well?

Why not be constructive instead, and open a dialogue with someone like NFFO and MMO?

 

[fisherman]

And did what with them - or are we into theft now as well?

Why not be constructive instead, and open a dialogue with someone like NFFO and MMO?

I always suggest this but the marine pikeys aren't subject to regulation or affiliated to any organisation. I lift stuff that seems to be drifted away, lost or unattended, ie lagged in weed. If good put it back, it often isn't, or ask around and get it back to the owner.

 

[BelleSerene]

I completely agree pots should be marked properly and that "invisible" floats are indefensible, but so is destroying property for the sake of it.

But removing a threat - pot, rope and inadequate float - from the passage of others once you've been lucky enough or skilful enough to avoid it yourself would not be destroying property for the sake of it.

 

[JumbleDuck]

But removing a threat - pot, rope and inadequate float - from the passage of others once you've been lucky enough or skilful enough to avoid it yourself would not be destroying property for the sake of it.

How would anyone prove ownership of a pot which they had not, as legally required, marked with their name?

 

[johnalison]

How would anyone prove ownership of a pot which they had not, as legally required, marked with their name?

You could always claim that you cut the line to free yourself, though you might have to rough up the line a bit to make it convincing, a la HMS Conqueror.

 

[Leighb]

Having had a bad encounter - my report in the Fouled sterngear forum lower down - I am extremely wary, and on the East Coast there are numerous badly marked floats and some very clear with tall flags. There is one off Walton that has been there for years, just a small round ball covered in weed practically invisible in even a calm sea. I spotted one only just in time this year, it was a tiny ball nearly dragged under by the tide and only because it was flat calm did I notice the wake pattern on the water, only missed it by a few yards.

When I was assisted by the Harwich Lifeboat - God bless the RNLI - I asked him if the loss of the float would be be a great nuisance to the "fisherman", his answer was that they mark all the positions on their GPS and it take very little time to recover the pots. So cutting the badly marked gear off altho' helpful perhaps to other yachtsmen won't really be that much of a deterrent possibly?

 

[fisherman]

Lots of the pikey part timers only use a single pot because they have no winch.

 

[HinewaisMan]

Large anodes are the answer!

I have 4 biggies hanging off Hinwai's steel hull and twice now dawn's broken for me to find a tiny marker buoy towing behind me. Zinc paravanes!

Thankfully sailing both times. Sadly neither time has the recovered pot had anything in it.

Rather than just dump them back, I kept the little buoy and gave the pot to another fisherman.

OR, Indonesia might have the answer.

Pots everywhere at times, though all marked with flags (no GPS?). And a few times there were little bamboo rafts the size of a 6-person dinner table with bamboo wigwams on them.

And an old chap sitting there keeping a eye out.

No fishing boat in sight, and we always wondered just what he would do if he saw someone lifting "his" pots.

But could this not be a job creation scheme for the over-60's in the UK? Retired yachties perhaps?