Lobster Pots !!

[cryan]

As it happens I don't have too many problems with people laying pots as long as they are properly marked and not placed in a stupid and inconsiderate place. In my case they were not only unacceptably marked but were also placed in a stupid place where quite frankly they ought not to have been.

They are placed where the beasties live. I'm sorry if thats inconvenient to your hobby and whilst it may be more convenient to shoot them in a 1000 fathoms of water or in the carpark next to the pier the partans, lobsters and prawns wll not find them thus defeating the object of the game.
Round here creels are mostly shot with orange buoys but I have seen a few with blue or black cans. I have seen these at night in the same way I have seen logs and other flotsam and jetsom. If you maintain a good watch and don't distort your night vision with a plethora of light emitting pollution black and blue cans can be seen at night from the way the reflect light.
However a quick read up on the type of ground the gear will be shot over will give you an idea of where they will be hiding and with your indepth passage planning you can reduce your chance of fouling the gear.

One does sometime get the impression that people consider fisherman useful for for building fishing villages and quaint little harbours but not much else?

 

[JohnGC]

The reality is, the OP never used to keep a proper lookout. In future he will.....

Some pot markers get dragged below the surface but still present a hazard to keel, prop and rudder.

Would you explain how I could keep a proper look out for those please?

 

[jac]

They are placed where the beasties live. I'm sorry if thats inconvenient to your hobby and whilst it may be more convenient to shoot them in a 1000 fathoms of water or in the carpark next to the pier the partans, lobsters and prawns wll not find them thus defeating the object of the game.
Round here creels are mostly shot with orange buoys but I have seen a few with blue or black cans. I have seen these at night in the same way I have seen logs and other flotsam and jetsom. If you maintain a good watch and don't distort your night vision with a plethora of light emitting pollution black and blue cans can be seen at night from the way the reflect light.
However a quick read up on the type of ground the gear will be shot over will give you an idea of where they will be hiding and with your indepth passage planning you can reduce your chance of fouling the gear.

One does sometime get the impression that people consider fisherman useful for for building fishing villages and quaint little harbours but not much else?

So it's fine if you're in the arse end of nowhere, there is no light pollution. Near 2 huge refineries plus 2 cities of a couple of hundred thousand, cruise liners, numerous small villages all within a few miles you are not going to be able to eliminate all light pollution.

Obviously we could black out all of south Hampshire and the fishermen could continue to use black oil drums. Or they could use a dan buoy IN LINE WITH THE HARBOUR REGULATIONS!

 

[jac]

Some pot markers get dragged below the surface but still present a hazard to keel, prop and rudder.

Would you explain how I could keep a proper look out for those please?

Simple, you shouldn't be there - that way fishermen can go about with non marked pots.

 

[JohnGC]

Simple, you shouldn't be there - that way fishermen can go about with non marked pots.

Thank you I see.

How do I know where I shouldn't be? Is "there" marked in some way? With a Dan Buoy or an old 5l container perhaps?

 

[jac]

Thank you I see.

How do I know where I shouldn't be? Is "there" marked in some way? With a Dan Buoy or an old 5l container perhaps?

Shouldn't be anywhere at all. Even on land. After all we might be somewhere that a fisherman wants to break the law.

 

[Tranona]

They are placed where the beasties live. I'm sorry if thats inconvenient to your hobby and whilst it may be more convenient to shoot them in a 1000 fathoms of water or in the carpark next to the pier the partans, lobsters and prawns wll not find them thus defeating the object of the game.
Round here creels are mostly shot with orange buoys but I have seen a few with blue or black cans. I have seen these at night in the same way I have seen logs and other flotsam and jetsom. If you maintain a good watch and don't distort your night vision with a plethora of light emitting pollution black and blue cans can be seen at night from the way the reflect light.
However a quick read up on the type of ground the gear will be shot over will give you an idea of where they will be hiding and with your indepth passage planning you can reduce your chance of fouling the gear.

One does sometime get the impression that people consider fisherman useful for for building fishing villages and quaint little harbours but not much else?

From what you have written on this subject, seems you inhabit a different world from most of the people who are relating their experiences here.

Just to get it straight. The practice of many fisherman in the inshore waters of the English Channel (and other places) is nothing like you describe. Pots are placed in shallow water, navigable channels and probably worst of all off headlands where there are strong tidal streams which means they are often underwater for at least a couple of hours every tide cycle. Suggest you take a passage from Yarmouth to Weymouth to see what it is really like. As you will keep a good lookout, you will lose count of the number of badly marked pots you see. If you are really lucky you will go across Christchurch Ledge in wind over tide conditions and then you stand little chance of seeing any of them from the cockpit of a yacht as they will be dragged under and lost in the swell. If you survive that you can then take the inshore passage around Portland Bill, which resembles a pinball table. Fortunately if you time it correctly you are round quickly - if you don't pick up a pot.

 

[capnsensible]

There are lots of areas in the world where pots are totally ineffectively marked. There is absolutely no way it is possible to spot them all off say, Agadir, Morocco, no matter how good a watch you kid yourself you are keeping.

Real world.

 

[onesea]

If you cant keep a proper lookout day or night you shouldn't be at sea. End of story.......

The reality is, the OP never used to keep a proper lookout. In future he will.....

I've been a seaman for nearly 40 years. Keep a better lookout!

I thought we people where discussing badly marked fishing gear, then I realized you where just trolling.

Just one question, in that 40 years you never had a near miss? You never had the one that cropped up to late? You saw everything that went passed?

 

[prr]

I thought we people where discussing badly marked fishing gear, then I realized you where just trolling.

Just one question, in that 40 years you never had a near miss? You never had the one that cropped up to late? You saw everything that went passed?

I take it you dont meen trolling as in fishing gear.
How ever much you dont like the answer its allways going to be the same.....maybe you should swop the boat for a camper van.... where you'll be more suited to your environment

 

[rotrax]

I take it you dont meen trolling as in fishing gear.
How ever much you dont like the answer its allways going to be the same.....maybe you should swop the boat for a camper van.... where you'll be more suited to your environment

There are none so sanctimonious as reformed reprobates.

 

[prr]

Weasle words....

 

[Rigger Mortice]

I take it you dont meen trolling as in fishing gear.
How ever much you dont like the answer its allways going to be the same.....maybe you should swop the boat for a camper van.... where you'll be more suited to your environment

Fishermen are supposed to mark their lines/pots with proper danbuoys. Frequently they don't and inadequate floats are used which get dragged below the surface when any tide is running, making them impossible to see.

Fishermen should mark their equipment properly. You are defending the indeffensible.

 

[Seajet]

As for ' keeping a good lookout ' - presumably night as well as day - being all that is required to avoid lobster pot buoys, remind me again how mines work against ships with dedicated crews of lookouts ?

 

[NUTMEG]

Never caught a pot, at least not yet. Have hit a couple of navigation buoys so catching a pot is only a matter of time.

Now I have been thinking. If one were to get caught, what is to stop you pulling the creels to the surface and eat any tasty contents whilst waiting for help, tide to turn, whatever?

Seems to me that if said fishermen lost all the creels in a string, along with edible contents, they may reflect on the thoughtless, arrogant and downright selfish practice of not marking them properly. (Crab pots sell for £20 to £30 each on fleabay).

Must get a larger saucepan for the boat and stock up on meths for the stove.

 

[jac]

Never caught a pot, at least not yet. Have hit a couple of navigation buoys so catching a pot is only a matter of time.

Now I have been thinking. If one were to get caught, what is to stop you pulling the creels to the surface and eat any tasty contents whilst waiting for help, tide to turn, whatever?

Seems to me that if said fishermen lost all the creels in a string, along with edible contents, they may reflect on the thoughtless, arrogant and downright selfish practice of not marking them properly. (Crab pots sell for £20 to £30 each on fleabay).

Must get a larger saucepan for the boat and stock up on meths for the stove.

That's a good point.

What is the legal position here. The rules in the QHM area anyway are very clear, if not marked with a danbuoy, radar reflector and boats name it is not in line with regs.

So what would be the position if a public spirited organisation were to try and help clean up the environment ini the Solent by disposing of any rubbish that they found floating, for example coke bottles, 5 litre oil cans, lengths of rope, lobster pots etc.

Obviously anything in line with regs would be left but any abandoned gear???

 

[rotrax]

Weasle words....

Your spelling's not up to much either...............................................

 

[webcraft]

.
The answer is obvious - get a long keeler with the rudder mounted on the back the keel plus a folding prop. Then you can sail or motor over lines, pots etc. with impunity.

<smug mode>simples!</smug mode>

- W

 

[cryan]

Some of the views here are trully shocking! There was a time when the sea was a community of people helping each other. Here it would seem the majority view is that it's acceptable to damage a mans business with some even suggesting lifting the pots and stealing the contents? How would you feel if someone came into your workplace and stole your stock?
A bit of good grace and understanding can go along way at sea. The fisherman have to shoot the pots where the catch lives, you don't have to sail there.
As for being a pain in the back side in the Solent? Quite frankly the amount of times I have seen yachts doing the craziest things around container ships and cruise ships going round the Calshot ( including screaming up at us that steam gives way to sail) I don't think creel boats are the major safety issue in that area.
I have always found that being friendly and respectful of other peoples activities gets you a lot further and ultimately returns more pleasure from life.

 

[jac]

Some of the views here are trully shocking! There was a time when the sea was a community of people helping each other. Here it would seem the majority view is that it's acceptable to damage a mans business with some even suggesting lifting the pots and stealing the contents? How would you feel if someone came into your workplace and stole your stock?
A bit of good grace and understanding can go along way at sea. The fisherman have to shoot the pots where the catch lives, you don't have to sail there.
As for being a pain in the back side in the Solent? Quite frankly the amount of times I have seen yachts doing the craziest things around container ships and cruise ships going round the Calshot ( including screaming up at us that steam gives way to sail) I don't think creel boats are the major safety issue in that area.
I have always found that being friendly and respectful of other peoples activities gets you a lot further and ultimately returns more pleasure from life.

As for lifting the pots and stealing contents.

The regulations covering the area specify that pots must be marked by a Dan Buoy, a radar reflector and have the owners name on them. If they are not then the bye laws say they will be removed.

So why are you defending CRIMINALS who break the local bylaws.

Question is as they are in breach of the local bylaws, and QHM doesn't have resource to remove, what is the legal position if others volunteer to assist QHM in undertaking activity to remove these pots.

You also say that people shouldn't sail where the catch is and mention calshot. As you will know, the deep water channel is restricted, the shallows are shallow leaving a bit between the channel and the shallows where yachts have to navigate. No problem with pots going there IF THEY ARE MARKED but a sea coloured oil can is not a marking and there are dozens there. So if you can't go where it's too shallow, are encouraged to not go where it's deep and have to leave the middle bit to the fishermen, where the hell do the rest of us go.

I appreciate that it is someone's business.

But the local drug dealer has a business that doesn't follow the law. By your logic, he should be able to carry on doing what he does. Or how about unlicensed gas engineers, sure some houses will get blown up and people killed but it's someone's business.

As you yourself said, it's meant to be about mutual respect and seamanship. Isn't it appropriate that crab fishermen should mark their pots so that others can see them.