Mark Thorson > wrote in :

> PeterL1 wrote:
>>
>> Seems it's like a herd of buffalo wandering across the range down
>> there, millions upon millions of the suckers all walking the same way.
>> Except, the males lead the way, and the females follow with the 'kids'.
>> When pots come up with all males, they've hit the head of the march....
>> if it's females they've hit the tail end.
>
> I didn't watch enough of the series to know that.
> That's interesting.


Certainly was. I saw them chucking all these crabs back (rail dumping, as
they call it) and thought "WTF???!!! There's gotta be some keepers in
that"

But no. Once they get females and juvi's in the mix, they pull them up and
dump them.


> I know Maine lobsters have
> similar behavior. The march in long lines along
> the sea floor. It's not something you would
> normally imagine that they would do.
>


I've seen one of the crews do a whole pile of rail dumping, then the
skipper has checked his charts, checked the tide flow, looked at the
formations on the ocean floor, did some calculations as to the length of
the 'herd', and raced ahead and dropped his pots in front of the migration
(along a 'ridge line' with a drop off on either side), and come up with a
ship full of King Crab keepers!!

It's almost like tracking an enemy force through the bush, but you're
200' above them.


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrites.

-- Albert Einstein --