Very interesting article. Lobstermen, have traditionally blamed just about everything one can think of for decreasing catches except of course overfishing by the commerical community. Still, I believe that for the most part they are probably right to some degree in their assertions. Striped bass do like lobsters and right now, they are probably the only species that have rebounded into a large biomass. Seals have been blamed as well, and there seems to be more of them around as well. Recreational anglers, while only allowed ten pots, they too could put a dent in the population because of their large numbers. Even worse, are poachers who steal lobsters form other people's pots. They keep everything since they are breaking the law anyway so why should they toss undersized lobsters back? When it comes to spraying for West Nile virus, it would not surprise me if they were right once again. However, I think I would prefer to catch less lobsters than to end up with the West Nile virus. At my age, it probably would be curtains for me!
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