Kathryn’s Voyage Blog

Publish Date: Monday, October 12, 2009
Location: Atlantic Ocean, ~3 miles off the coast of New Jersey
Coordinates: 39° 00.843′ N  74° 41.954′ W

Six weeks ago, I mentioned in a blog that I was working on my Unified Theory of Lobster Traps. 🙂  After having now cruised the Northumberland Strait around Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia; the Atlantic and various bays and inlets along the Maritimes and New England I’m now ready to put forth my theory. Based strictly on personal observation and conversations with a few lobstermen, I have determined there is no Unified Theory for lobster traps; instead they fall under the discipline of Chaos Theory. In the most simplistic terms Chaos Theory is the search to apply a precise mathematical definition to systems which seem on the surface to be undefinable or completely random. I leave the placement of lobster traps in the water to far greater minds than mine to find the order. 🙂

But just for fun here are a few observations:

• Nova Scotia appears to be strictly regulated with dates and well defined areas (34 I think) where lobstering can occur. Lobsters are the number one seafood export from Nova Scotia and they work diligently to protect the health of their stock. Each lobsterman is given a license for 250 traps which he can set where ever he wants within the defined area.
• The coast of New England appears to be far more random. The number of traps in some areas defies description; truly you could hop from float to float. The lobsters don’t stand a chance.
• There doesn’t appear to be a clear depth limitation. You’ll find traps in anywhere from 75 to 350 feet of water. This can be challenging when trying to pick a route to cruise at night.
• Cold is the key — traps are usually located where the water is coldest. Local knowledge rules here; knowing where currents converge, sea floor topography and upwelling exists are important.
• In Canada, lobstermen are required to check their traps every 24 hours. The U.S. appears to be every few days.
• Neon orange and red floats are the easiest floats to see so you can avoid running over them. Blue and black ones are darn near impossible to see in certain conditions.
• Most lobster boats have two people aboard. The captain maneuvers the boat into position, while the mate pulls up the traps and sorts through the haul, throwing back the undersized, berried (female with eggs), or soft shells.  The whole process takes about a minute and then they are off to pull up the next trap.
• Most lobster boats have a cage around their propellors to keep their floats and lines (also called tackle) from getting tangled up in their props. For the rest of us, we just need to be super vigilant  and try not to run over any traps.

Okay, I’ll stop now. As you can see, I’m truly fascinated by this way of life. Next stop the Chesapeake…. time to start looking for crab pots. 🙂