Marine Supplies for Lobster Traps
Lobster, a tasty seafood, is a low-cholesterol and low-calorie protein. Fishing for your own lobster allows you to serve fresh seafood on your table. To fish for lobster, you need a trap, of course, but other supplies as well. A variety of instruments are used to measure the lobster, keep it alive and maintain the location of the trap. Both commercial and recreational lobster fishermen can find these supplies at marine supply stores.
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Metal Gauge
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A metal gauge determines if the lobster is legal size for consumption by measuring the sea animal. The gauges are usually thin and have two measurements inscribed on them: the legal measurement of the carapace and the tail to allow for quick and easy determination of a legal-sized lobster. While each coastal state has its own allowances as to the size of lobster you are allowed to keep, if the caught animal is under the legal limit, you must release it back into the ocean. The gauges have a small hole at the end to attach them to a string or lanyard to keep them easy to access.
Buoys
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You need a large buoy when placing traps in the water. Each lobster trap should bear a specific color to identify it to its owner; use a different color from the lobster fishermen around you to differentiate your traps. In addition, to legally fish, you must mark the buoy with your license number, either with a marker or a printed label. Tie the buoy with a rope to the lobster trap to signify its location in the water.
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Live Tank
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Placing lobsters in a live tank ensures they are kept fresh for sale and consumption. The tanks come in a variety of sizes and are generally at the back of a fishing boat for easy access when you catch the lobsters. Insulated from cold or heat, the tanks are kept at a constant temperature by seawater pumped in by a small attached pump and a tube that goes over the side of the boat into the ocean water.
Bands
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After you catch your lobsters, you need bands to wrap around their claws to keep them from pinching both you and other lobsters. Bands are made from a rubber that is resistant to cold temperatures as the lobsters are typically placed on ice. You can have your name and contact number printed on the rubber for commercial purposes. They come in assorted sizes, from the standard 1-by-1/2-inch bands to larger 1 3/4-by-5/8-inch bands for larger lobsters.
Gaff
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A gaff is a large, long pole with a hook at the end, used to pull buoys and their attached ropes in to a boat. This allows the fisherman to be near the rope without driving right by it with the boat, and allows for numerous pick ups of buoys without precise driving. Gaffs can be purchased at many fishing stores, and come in a variety of lengths for a variety of boats. The long pole of a gaff is made of a lightweight and durable material, usually plastic or hollow tubes of aluminum, while the hook is large and solidly built out of metal, such as steel, to resist bending when used.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit lobster image by pcphotos from Fotolia.com
