Operation Game Thief Reward offered for info in Hancock County lobster ‘trap war’

me_maine_marine_patrolAn escalating “trap war” taking place in the coastal waters of Hancock County has cost lobstermen hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost gear and is prompting state officials to authorize a reward for information. The territorial dispute, in which fishermen have cut surface buoys from each others’ traps, has been heated since early summer, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The cutting has been centered on the boundary line between lobster fishing zones B and C, which runs through Blue Hill Bay from Newbury Neck in Surry to Swan’s Island. “This trap war is without a doubt the most costly loss of gear I have witnessed in my 32-year career with the Maine Marine Patrol,” Col. Jon Cornish, head of DMR’s law enforcement division, said Monday. “In this instance, [total] gear loss is estimated to far exceed $350,000 dollars.” Read the story here 16:01

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