Monster SD Bay Lobster - 11-25-2011

[jorluivil]

I think I'm going to have to start purchasing the 80pack box of microwave popcorn.

[GHOSTHUNTR]

Thanks Jim, I didn't want to get into too much of a pissing match here on the net, although I knew I was right. Thanks for the expanded clarification.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by GHOSTHUNTR

Thanks Jim, I didn't want to get into too much of a pissing match here on the net, although I knew I was right. Thanks for the expanded clarification.

No Problem, glad to help out.

The problem with the web is people get these strange ideas that have nothing to do with reality, and then if they repeat them often enough others start to actually believe them. It becomes like a web based mythology. My problem is when I see things like that I feel compelled to step and and say no what your saying is just not true, even if what they are saying has some kind of sentimental or popular appeal.

I mean I get it in this case. KM caught a decent bug that's was honestly probably about five or six pounds. To make it look big he held it way out from his body. Someone else came along looked at the pic and thinking it was really big maybe ten pounds said that can't be a male because it's swimmerets overlap.

It's just not the case.

The deal is the bug is not that big, and because it's still very much alive it's holding it's swimmerets in as far as they can go trying to protect the underside of it's tail.

So though the swimmerets closest to it's carapace do not overlap like they would with a female the ones closest to the end of the tail are partially overlapping.

If it was female the tail itself would be much larger, and the swimmeretes would be huge completely covering the tail even the ones nearest the carapace.

So OK we have a honest difference of opinion, probably based on something someone read that they misunderstood. At any rate all the other features of that bug point to the fact it's male. I hate to point it out but it's not only male but it's a well hung male with huge gentalia for it's size. Let's face it boy lobsters have things females do not have and that bug's got a pair of big ones.

So what does this matter? I mean who really cares?

Well other people then just fisherman watch these sites.

Say some enviro nut sees this post, seizes on it, and then goes to his local enviro whacko website and says: "Look the A-hole fisherman are killing ten pound female lobsters and destroying the lobster population." That does us all a disservice.

They love this kind of shit, true or not because it gives them a chance to make us look bad, and trust me there will be no-one on those enviro sites to come back and say: "No no no that's a male lobster!

Personally I do not keep big female lobsters, and I do it for a good reason.

Big female lobsters over 3.5 pounds can carry more eggs on their tails and better defend them from predators then smaller ones. Since it's their sole responsibility to protect their eggs and big females can do it better then small ones it makes perfect sense to release big female lobsters.

There is no law about it, I do it because I want the most bang for the buck when it comes to our lobsters and their reproduction, because honestly: I want as many lobsters out there as possible so I can catch them.

When it comes to size and reproductive value, it's different for males. Any male can fertilize any female lobster, and they do not care for the eggs or young.

Big Bull males may be older and at the top of their game but any male lobster can do the deed and insure more generations of lobsters.

Add to that that big male lobsters are territorial and cannibalistic. That they literally hunt and kill other lobsters and even will feed on smaller females with eggs and you suddenly realize not only that killing big bull male lobsters and making way for more smaller lobsters may not be such a bad idea, but also it in no way effects the resource and population numbers in the same manner as killing large females.

"Save the big breeder" argument only makes sense for female lobsters not males. So when your talking about taking home big bugs it's very important to know which ones are males and which ones are females. Release big females, and keep big males if you want to. That's my take after years of reading up on these things.

One more time KM's bug is a male not a female. Congrats on that catch!! I remember when I got my first bug that size and it was very exciting. Personally I would of eaten the thing but hey it's your bug, you caught it, its your right to do with it as you see fit.

To those who still want to say it's female. Do some reading on lobsters and their anatomy and I guarantee that when you look closely at his pics you will eventually realize that is in fact a male bug.

It's a plain as the nose on your face.

Jim

[bubblehide]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

...

Add to that that big male lobsters are territorial and cannibalistic. That they literally hunt and kill other lobsters and even will feed on smaller females with eggs and you suddenly realize not only that killing big bull male lobsters and making way for more smaller lobsters may not be such a bad idea, but also it in no way effects the resource and population numbers in the same manner as killing large females.

...Jim

Back in the day, I was fortunate enoug to have the opportunity to dive Alpha area, off on San Nic. The area was full of big big lobster. And much more often than not, they were big bulls, we simply didn't see small lobster in that area; That simply attests to their territoriality.

[The Kid]

Congrats that is a nice roach! I don't know about the slots though. All we need is one more regulation to worry about. Now that those who fish mexico need Visas if they are within 12 miles of land, La Jolla has become the new Coronado Islands. And with the MLPA, the area to fish will become a flotilla. I am not convinced we need more regulation?