|
...that has been decimating the fishery in the eastern end of the sound and off southern New England for the past few years.
Hopefully, the generation of lobsters represented by the one in Theiler's hand will be immune to shell disease. And hopefully, they'll be productive enough to bring the fishery back to its former abundance--once whatever is afflicting the lobsters in the sound goes away.
"Hopefully, that's our future," says Theiler, 37, who fishes out of New London, Conn., accompanied by James DeCosta and Al Lindsay. They fish the Race, a section of the sound where currents are known to run at 4 knots.
Theiler is hanging a big mantle of hope on a pretty small peg. At about 4 inches in length, the cricket in his hand looks more like a refrigerator magnet than it does the future of the fishery, but it will have to do. Besides, the cricket is a lot more attractive than some of the mottled, misshapen animals that Theiler and his crew have been hauling.
Although as many as half the lobsters show signs of shell disease, in most cases it amounts only to discoloration. The meat is left intact. Every once in a while, however, a more dramatic case presents itself aboard Theiler's boat, the Jeannette T. Theiler displays a lobster that has a quarter-inch hole in its carapace, offering a window into its fleshy interior.
"Regulation isn't going to help that lobster," Theiler says, throwing it over the side.
Lobstermen were used to seeing some discoloration on their catches, but in relatively low numbers. Perhaps 1 or 2 percent would exhibit a small circle the shape and color of a cigarette burn--and then only in the case of older animals. There was little impact on the fishery. But in the late 1990s, some say soon after the oil spill on Moonstone Beach in Rhode Island in...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
More articles from National Fisherman
Tough stuff: imported webbing from India is turning heads in Dixie.(Bo..., November 01, 2003
Craning your deck: not all deck cranes are the same. Learn which is be..., November 01, 2003
Wrapped up in comfort: three things to consider when buying insulation..., November 01, 2003
Fish Expo beaming in Hogarth for conference: NMFS leader to appear via..., November 01, 2003
Boat redefines multipurpose; kits abound at Maine yard.(North), November 01, 2003
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
