We've had a lot of problems everywhere. It's an insidious crime. It's hard to detect. It's hard to find. We've had cases in New Bedford with an excess of 268 scrubbed eggers.
Many lobstermen say the recent arrest has cast a pall over the industry.
Indeed, while lobstermen agree that scrubbing has occurred for generations, they say it is no longer acceptable. Yet, nearly all agree it still occurs - to what extent is impossible to say. The economic incentive for breaking the law can be substantial. Many lobstermen who agreed to speak both on and off the record admitted they harvested egg-bearing lobsters in the past, but eventually adhered to the calls for conservation. No one admitted to engaging in such activity now.