At certain times a year, anywhere between 10 to 50 percent of the lobsters off the Cape are egg-bearing. Lobstermen, by law, must thrown them back. That's a lot of money. Cases of scrubbing are very rare, said Bill Adler, the president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, which has about 1,000 members. Significant penalties Enforcing lobster laws is high in the pecking order of environmental police.
Permit sanctions are also possible.
Environmental police Capt. Kathleen Dolan, whose district includes state waters from Plymouth to Rhode Island and the Cape and the islands, said there are approximately 20 arrests per year in her district for removing egg lobsters Bill Souza, captain of the lobster boat Raider III out of Provincetown, said the law gives ample leeway for a lobstermen to make a decent living. Most lobstermen view their trade as comprising a select group. But the state also issues another 12,000 noncommercial permits that allow a permit holder to have up to 10 traps. Commercial lobstermen say those permit holders should not be exempt from scrutiny.