Dodging lobster pot markers

Lobster season is on over here now. Started September 26 in Sweden and October 1 in Norway. Seems like everyone with access to a boat are out catching lobsters. Those*poor creatures*must have a hard time dodging all those traps.

For some reason it seems like fairways and where those animals supposedly congregate coincide. We have had a very hard time the last couple of weekends dodging lobster those*pot markers. Some are marked with white or yellow boys (best visible) and some are marked with orange/red boys (less visible). Some are even marked (camouflaged?) with green or blue dishwasher liquid bottles!*Some of the pots are set with a too short*line and*are only visible at the bottom of the waves. Just hoping my Spurs line cutters do their job if we hit one of those

1. Fairway blocked with pot markers
2. Red marker + camouflaged*marker

*

Come to Maine's lobster buoy minefields. It is impossible to navigate in a straight line from one waypoint to the next unless you have a prop cage or a big enough propeller/engine (i.e. ship).

I noticed in SW Florida a couple of years ago they are now using some 6" floats rather than the 8" markers normally used. Some painted blue; if that makes any sense.
Steve W.

Too bad these hard to see/avoid (especially at night) markers and lines*couldn't be declared hazards to navigation so they could be at least removed at will.


-- Edited by markpierce on Tuesday 18th of October 2011 09:25:32 AM

So many crab pot floats in some places here in SE Alaska that are great anchorages one needs to go elsewhere. All day planning on anchoring in that perfect anchorage and then finding*it full of pot floats. whine whine

Mark what is all that lat lon stuff on the bottom of your posts for?

nomadwilly wrote:
Mark what is all that lat lon stuff on the bottom of your posts for?

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*It's my berth's location.

markpierce wrote:
Too bad these hard to see/avoid (especially at night) markers and lines*couldn't be declared hazards to navigation so they could be at least removed at will.

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That's a bit like saying tools can be dangerous so we should be allowed to take them away from mechanics at will.* Those "markers and lines" are how a lot of people earn their livlihood.* Far more important in the overall scheme of things that they are able to do that than we get to plow around unproductively in our recreational boats just for fun.

While negotiating waters with lots of crab pot buoys or gill nets can be tricky at times up here, I have always felt that it is our responsibilty to not mess up or damage the fishermen's gear, not their reponsibility to keep it out of my way.

I have no patience (or sympathy) for boaters who whine about commercial fishermen or their gear.

I have no sympathy*for fishermen who don't use markers of adequate size and surface to be readily visible.

markpierce wrote:
I have no sympathy*for fishermen who don't use markers of adequate size and surface to be readily visible.

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Don't know about your area but up here it's been our experience over the last twenty-five years or so we've been boating that the commercial fisherman do a good job of marking their gear.* There are times when there is so much of it in the water we need to deviate a fair distance from our course or play very close attention to how we thread our way through it, always passing pot buoys on the down-current side and so forth.

And up on Prince Edward Island in Canada the lobster pots offshore can cover huge areas of water in an almost unpenatrable maze, but from what we saw their pot floats were very well marked.

And yes, under certain water or light conditions the gear can be real hard to see. We view that as meaning that we need to keep a real sharp eye out.* Use binoculars to scan ahead, slow down, change course to skirt a popular crabbing area, use log lights if running at night through an area where one suspects there might be fishing gear, whatever.* Fishing gear is designed for ease and speed of handling, not standing out like a sore thumb to some "it's all about me" pleasure boater.

We're aware of a lot more instances of unobservant recreational boaters running over obvious fishing gear than we are of boaters getting fouled on gear that was hard or impoassible to see.

In my view it's our responsibility to learn what kinds of gear commercial fishermen use in our areas, learn to recognize it, and then stay the hell away from it when we see it.* It's not their reponsibility to give a rat's ass about us.

In my book, making a living on the water trumps boating for fun every time.








-- Edited by Marin on Tuesday 18th of October 2011 01:12:54 PM

Larry--- I'm going to hijack this thread. The Krogen 42 has long been one of our favorite recreational boat designs. We've been on one or two over the years when they've come through one of the local boat dealerships in trade as part of a Grand Banks sale but I know nothing about their construction or problem-free longevity. Is it good, bad, or indifferent?

Marin wrote:
Larry--- I'm going to hijack this thread. The Krogen 42 has long been one of our favorite recreational boat designs. We've been on one or two over the years when they've come through one of the local boat dealerships in trade as part of a Grand Banks sale but I know nothing about their construction or problem-free longevity. Is it good, bad, or indifferent?

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*Marin:* I posted my response under the Krogen section:* KK42 Construction/Problems


-- Edited by Larry M on Tuesday 18th of October 2011 02:54:37 PM

I don't mind the commercial floats - they're making a living and it seems like there's some rhyme and reason to where they set their traps.* Its the recreational floats that drive me nuts.* No telling where they'll be except that usually they'll be someplace stupid.* And no adherence to any colour scheme.* We've seen purple laundry soap containers in the entrance to Van Isle Marina.* A good percentage of them are left out for weeks at a time so they get a good growth of green slime on them.* Good luck spotting one of them against a setting sun with other boat traffic coming into the marina.* There must be something we could trail like the destroyers used to sweep minefields.


-- Edited by bobofthenorth on Tuesday 18th of October 2011 06:51:41 PM

" There must be something we could trail like the destroyers used to sweep minefields."
Hire two tugs string a chain between them, about 100 yards apart. Let them run down the channels and drag everything out of the way.
I saw this done on a land clearing project in Africa, in small trees and brush. A pair of Cat D-8s with a ships anchor chain between them. they were about 75-100 feet apart, it worked very well.

Just kidding of course I realize the crabbers, lobstermen, etc. are out there working hard and desreve to make a living.
Steve W

Two words.

"Line cutters"

Dodge when you can, line cutters when you F up.

*

I heard about a clip made of salt designed to desolve at a given rate you can get them for 6,8,12, hours when they disolve the bouy pops to the surface.

Added cost but your line wont get cut loosing the pot and line.*An expensive loss *Sounds like a smart thing to do what with all the line cutters about. As well as thives.

SD