Picture/photo of V-Notched Female Lobster

[ScubaNorth]

How can they tell which endopodite was notched? In other words, if a fisherman is getting paid for every notch taken from the tail flipper immediately to the right of center, what's to stop him from clipping the left too and collecting double?

I think the same thing that keeps you from scraping eggs off a female. I've never seen a double notcher, although i've seen my own share and lostaman's share of notched females.

Peace.

 

[RIOceanographer]

How can they tell which endopodite was notched? In other words, if a fisherman is getting paid for every notch taken from the tail flipper immediately to the right of center, what's to stop him from clipping the left too and collecting double?

Great question. I didn't know the answer so I asked my buddy... the answer is actually pretty interesting. It turns out they can't really tell.

When the notching program began in RI, it operated on the honor system. As you can guess this didn't work because the lobsterman started taking multiple notches off the same lobster and turning each one in for full price. In once case they found a lobster with 10 notches in the tail!

So they changed the system. Now in RI the lobsterman do not notch the lobsters themselves. The state has hired paid observers that go out onto the boats and perform the notching. The lobsterman then get paid for each lobster the observer notches.

The entire RI lobster program is paid for by the North Cape oil spill settlement money. This is how they pay the observers and the lobstermen.

In MA the notching system is totally different. Notching is currently mandatory and the lobsterman don't get paid for them, so there isn't incentive to double notch them. ME was the first place to use v-notching, and as in MA the lobsterman are not paid for it.

 

[MSilvia]

That would do it. I figured if it had occurred to me, it must have occurred to someone making money on it. I can't say I'm at all suprised to hear of multiple notching, but 10? It must have been a year before the poor girl could swim again.

 

[DiveGolfSki]

Is the whole purpose of notching to visibility distinguish the Amercian Lobster's sex? If so, isn't there another way, in case I run into a non-notched non-egg carrying lobster? I know about crabs (capitol building vs washington monument) but with the American Lobster, the easy one is that males have sharp spines on their abdomen while females are blunt. Are there others?

 

[MSilvia]

Is the whole purpose of notching to visibility distinguish the Amercian Lobster's sex? If so, isn't there another way, in case I run into a non-notched non-egg carrying lobster? I know about crabs (capitol building vs washington monument) but with the American Lobster, the easy one is that males have sharp spines on their abdomen while females are blunt. Are there others?

Yeah, the swimmerets on the underside of the tail are the most reliable sign. If they're rigid then you have a male and if they are feathered you have a female. You can also tell by the width of the tail. In order to give her more room to carry eggs, a female lobster will have a broader tail than a male of equal size.

 

[LobstaMan]

Well, I guess the odds finally caught up to me....saw my first two v-notchers on Sunday @ STB. One was a nice-sized 4 3/4"er that came right out of her den to challenge me. I guess she knew what the cut in her tail flipper meant! Also, strongest current ever @ STB.

LobstaMan