Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-27
LOBSTER FISHING.
Facts Brought Out at the Hear
ing Of Monday.
The Path Of the Fish Warden is Not sircwn
With Ro.es.

Lobstering is something that few OF
the inland people understand and lit.
tie more do they understand what con.
stitutes short" lobster. The hcarine
at the State House. Monday afternoon
and evening. brought out MANY facts
in connection with clustering that war,
of interest to those present.
| A short lobster Is one that is Ioee
than 101a inches in length and thew are
measured by placing the nose against
one cleat on the end Of the measuring
board and by bringing down the tail ia
| the other cleat which is axactlv
| 1912 inches distant. If the middle bone
of the tail touches the second cleat The
lobster is legal one, but otherwise il
must be thrown overheard or ifs nos
session is likely to get one into tro,Ible
The law reads that if anv man is
found who has Il lobster Of short length
in his possession he is liable IA arrest
and to prosecution, but the wardens
under the instructions Of Commissioner
A. r. Nickerson. do not rigidlv enforce
this. as they use common sense in it's
enforcement.
EX-CommisSioncr Nickercon ax-
planned that he had directed his ward
ems never to trouble a man who had
not taken his Holsters to the car where
he kept them. The fishermen 20 out
in their dories and pull" their trans.
That is they pull the traps and take
the Holsters from them ana place them
in the bottom of boat. 4 man can
tell within half an inch Of the length.
but there he is in doubt. They do not
measure them at once but wait until
they have gone To their cars and there
measure them before putting them into
cars where they are kept Imprisoned
until wanted. Commissioner Nickerson
said il would not be a fair thing to DO
to prosecute a man until he had meas
ured the Holsters. hence from the traps
to the car man may have doubtful
length Holsters in his possession and
not be liable to prosecution.
Warden Hanna. Of Bristol. who is
one Of the most widely known fish
wardens in the business. having a row
ing commission all over the Lincoln
county sea coast. Informed the Jour
nal that he ana every other fish war
den was liable to criticism. every day
III Inv PEI l'l illiiI' y VI HIS dttS dS there
is such n strong sentiment along the
coasts against the enforcement of the
lobster law. This can be seen by any
one who visits the sea coast Mt any
time. and thus Warden Hanna merely
said what is common observation.
though he has a more practical way Of
observing. 1t was alleged in the hear
ing that some of the officers Of the
town Of Harpswcll had claimed the
right to have short Holsters for home
though Warden SNOW
had said they should not intending TO
fulfill the law in regard To them as in
every other case. Mon acquainted with
the facts Of the feeling against the law
down that way say that many Of the
men who fish for their own consump-
tion % not believe the law was made
for them hut for the large fishermen.
They believe they are not breaking 4
law in getting enough for themselves
ana ucighEors. though they would be
n favor Of the prosecution in case any
one should be breaking the law to any
great extent.
Another new phase Of the law is
that Of having the buoys to the traps !
marked. 1t will he explained to those |
not acquainted with the workings Of !
the clustering fishermen. that these |
traps are sunk on some shoal while the |
place they are located is marked |
by wooden buoyS about one foot long |
ana four inches square. These hold !
the ropes attached to the traps. and |
thus a trap can be pulled from the bot |
tom. It is stipulated in the law that !
every man shall plainly mark his |
buoyS with his full name 50 that the |
warden can tell who owns each. This |
IS not done in some localities where the |
law is laxly enforced and when il is |
the fishermen do not like it, |
There is much to lobster poachng |
that cannot be brought out ut a hear |
ing of the sort Of Monday. for what !
man has not gone to the Seashore in |
the summer and had taste Of short |
Holsters and noticed how sweet the
meat was? When he is there and is |
breaking the law by having the short |
Holsters he believes he is doing moth |
ing wrong and rather glories that he is
beating the law. yet he is as much a |
law breaker as though he had stolen |
from the States treasury.