In a couple of weeks we’ll be into what columnist Rusty Warren calls the “snarly season.” A number of things get tangled up at this time – beaches, traffic, public landings, harbors, commercial and recreational boats, fishing gear … lots of people going about their business, occasionally getting in each others’ way. Entanglements, if we’re not careful, can become the order of the day.
So the next time your prop gets caught in someone’s pot warp and you’re tempted to whip out your knife, stop to consider: in most cases, entanglement is a short-lived phenomenon related to (a) the annual migration of lobsters into inshore waters, (b) the hot market for lobsters, (c) the passive nature of lobster gear and (d) the proliferation of boats, lobsters and gear in the same waters at precisely the same time.
Face it: it’s all part of the summer snarl. When we’ve got coastal resources of such beauty, value and quality it’s no surprise that everyone else wants to share them.