I'm a ex fisherman from Massachusetts and our lobster traps are roughly 2ft wide x 4ft long fished in trawls of 7 to 10 pots. I've dredged and grappled for alot of lost gear, and found so many ghost trawls that are destroyed and damaged but are still catching and killing. Even caught some on our anchors while charter fishing that we managed to get a buoy on and throw it back over for someone to recover later on. To many people dont care and its putting wildlife , future fisheries , fishermen and businesses in trouble. Even just picking up someone else's plastic bag, straws, or trash next time your at a beach goes along way. Our oceans and water ways are under attack and we are the cause. That 1 plastic bag or even a straw u pick up could save a whale, turtle or other creatures life.
Always load my back pack full of garage when I go hiking. If everyone just picked up a couple pieces of trash while they was walking or out it would clean up so much
That fish you caught is a male Northern Studfish. It is actually part of the killifish family. Hope this helps you. I fished NJ and the surrounding areas for the first 30 years of my life.
My what an effort in, “Marine Engineering!” Your experience and efforts, has done good in preserving the natural resources for future generations. Well done Mr. Fishermen please continue your efforts of doing good for all the generations future. The depletion of the resource is something I’ve seen happen dramatically in, “Hawaiian Waters” by the abuse of over fishing, mostly by careless peoples living on the beach. Many people wonder what has happened to all the fish and unless you have a boat you rarely get fish sizable fish worth eating nowadays. Aloha and Mahalo to you and your crew. 🌺🌸🌴❤️🇺🇸
I've literally been watching your videos all day they're so funny and entertaining. The statement why do you build things out of garbage had me dying laughing because that's the same thing I do and I love it it's so fun to repurpose stuff and use a bunch of stuff that you got for free
This made me think of those magnet fishing channels. Could that be an option for surface traps maybe. I haven't heard of this problem before and much respect to you for doing this. I can't believe the number, judging by the look of those sonar maps, of cages down there and dam, what are these fisherman using for ropes?
Luke I have been watching your channel for a while now and have become a huge fan. My interest in crabbing brought me here and your genuine personality kept me coming back. I think it is awesome that a young man has a passion for this kind of work because it is going away if more people don’t keep it alive. I am in construction and every year it gets harder as the older workforce ages out and there are no young people to replace them. Thank you for sharing your love of what you do and I hope more young people are inspired to do the same. I have never had the chance to eat blue crab because I grew up in the west but my wife and I are going to make a trip one day to experience this for ourselves.
Like the fact your picking up old crab pots. Good work. But your video has lots of other information in it that is of interest as well. Are those blue gills living in brackish water or are they Mola Mola (Ocean sun fish)?
Very cool! Luke on tip from a film class I had, look at the lens of the camera, NOT the screen. Unless you have a screen around you lens, if you watch yourself in the screen you will be looking to the side in your video and not at your audience. I really thought that was weird advice until we started watching examples, it is something that you see everywhere now. Is it a big deal, no but as he told us, have you ever watched a show news cast with the on screen person looking at the guy over your shoulder the whole time…one of those lessons that never leaves you! Keep up the good work, love following your journey!
Do these crab traps not have a biodegradable vent? As a Maine lobsterman, it is crucial that every trap is equipped with a vent that rusts away if it is lost. This enables almost everything in the trap to escape.
We do bait fish trapping in the summer and lose the odd trap, I doubt they last very long pretty thin metal. Looks like the crab pots last a long time.
You need to have a slack piece of rope from a break away piece at the top of the grappling hook going to the bottom of it. It gets snagged/stuck, breaks first spot attachment and goes to 2nd attachment which is at the bottom to make the boat pull the hooks backwards instead of with them just in case it hooks something that is impossible to move/can't get loose from without loosing hook and line. It's an old anchor trick but can work the same for this occasion also.
Shrimper from Alabama here, I'd definitely consider using a heavy set of try net doors and hooks along a heavy tickler chain. The longer the tickle chain the more weight you'll want on the doors. You can still pull at 3kts and cover far more ground. When our bay gets dredged up and the hangs change we will take the nets off and and just pull chain to find them to save gear later and develop track marks. You would essentially be doing the same on a smaller scale and that single hydraulic cathead should handle the smaller doors just fine. You would want to make use of that rear davit as well to get the tow line up off of the rear of the boat. Just let the doors hang under the block and bring the chain over the stern once you're done towing.
USA has a large navy that could easily find and remove all of these without tearing up the bottom dredging with hooks... it'd be a good excercise for them and money well spent... but i guess they're too busy???
From West TX, why am I watching this? IDK 😶 but it looks interesting. Am I ever going to have a crab boat? No. Am I ever going to touch a crab pot? No. Am I ever going to live in the bay? No, my wife would kill me it looks cold. Thanks for the content, looks fun if you find work fun.
Did they find That truckers union leader Jimmy Hoffa down there yet ? I heard they used urinals' to hold the body down , Im just saying could be ! I heard the dock workers were mad at him along with the mafia , Its possible ! LMAO
Former Coastie and I really enjoyed that. I’ve subscribed. I was in Alaska, Northern Cali, and New Bedford ,Mass on a white needle of death 270”. Did a lot of boardings and most of the time learned a thing or two. Don’t think I ever failed a fishing boat and always refused but offered plenty of seafood
What sucks is that first pot you got back was tossed by some asshole on purpose. Noted by the line coiled up inside it. 🤦♂️. Just make in life harder for all the other fishermen
I know this is old but I think that baby fish was a baby northern snakehead. Not sure but looked like it. That's gonna be a beast one day...I love fishing for them
Holy crap! Im terrified of those friggin springs! Literally! And I'm 800mi away watchin on a phone! I've seen too many of those break with 0% warning! Abd they can hold A LOT of stored energy. Very dangerous! You should cage that thing in with some expanded steel or something. Maybe even consider a hydraulic piston in future incarnations....
