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Lobster fishing is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine Lobsters or Spiny lobsters.

In southern California, lobster fishing for California spiny lobster is lucrative due to a huge market demand for lobster. Most commercial fishers use lobster traps. Their use is considered advantageous to other collection techniques.

Lobster traps are rectangular-shaped boxes made out of wire mesh coated with tar. A trap must have in it a 2 3/8 x 11 1/2 inch-sized escape hole to allow under-sized lobsters to escape the trap. Every trap must also have a 'self-destruction device' to allow its door to fall open after it has been out too long. Traps are sunk to the ocean bottom with weights and are baited with dead fish or cat food. Attached to every trap is a buoy labelled with the letter P followed by the license number of the fisher who has set the trap.

Recreational lobster fishers in California must abide by a legal catch limit of seven lobsters per day and a minimal catch size of 3 1/4 inch long body measured from the eye socket to the edge of the carapice. They can however fish at any time of the year.

Commerical fishers, while not bound to abide by any particular legal quota, must fish during lobster season, which starts on the Saturday preceding the first Wednesday in October through to the first Wednesday after the 15th of March. All commercial fishers must also keep a log of the exact number of legal and illegal lobster they catch.

Using lobster traps allows a fisher to harvest far more lobsters in the same amount of time than does SCUBA diving to catch lobster by hand. A fisher with one boat can set, pull, and reset over 100 traps a day, making traping a much more efficient means than diving. With the use of that many traps, a fisher could collect anywhere from 100 to 1000 lobster. Using traps is moreover not held back by what limits SCUBA - water depth, the time a diver can remain underwater, and the water conditions during diving.

Areas where lobster fishing is common include southern California, New England, and the Canadian Maritimes.

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+'''Lobster fishing''' is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine [[Lobster]]s or [[Spiny lobster]]s.
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-'''Lobster fishing''' is the commercial or recreational exploitation of marine [[Lobster]]s or [[Spiny lobster]]s.
+In southern [[California]], lobster fishing for [[California spiny lobster]] is lucrative due to a huge market demand for lobster.  Most commercial fishers use [[Lobster trap|lobster trap]]s.  Their use is considered advantageous to other collection techniques.
-In southern [[California]], lobster fishing for [[California spiny lobster]] is a huge business because there is such a high demand for lobster. Most commercial fishermen use [[Lobster trap|lobster trap]]s because they have many advantages over other collection techniques. Lobster traps are rectangular shaped boxes made out of wire mesh coated with tar. All traps must have a 2-3/8 x 11-1/2 inch escape hole so the illegal sized lobsters can get out. Every trap must also have a ''destruction device'' which allows the door to fall open after the trap has been out too long. The traps are sunk to the bottom with weights where they are baited with dead fish or cat food. Coming up from every trap is a buoy that has the letter ''P'' followed by the license number of the fisherman who set it.
+Lobster traps are rectangular-shaped boxes made out of [[wire]] [[mesh]] coated with [[tar]]. A trap must have in it a 2 3/8 x 11 1/2 inch-sized escape hole to allow under-sized lobsters to escape the trap.  Every trap must also have a 'self-destruction device' to allow its door to fall open after it has been out too long.  Traps are sunk to the ocean bottom with weights and are [[bait]]ed with dead fish or cat food.  Attached to every trap is a [[buoy]] labelled with the letter ''P'' followed by the license number of the fisher who has set the trap.
+Recreational lobster fishers in California must abide by a legal catch limit of seven lobsters per day and a minimal catch size of 3 1/4 inch long body measured from the eye socket to the edge of the [[carapice]].  They can however fish at any time of the year.
-Unlike recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen are not limited by the seven lobster per day limit. They do have to follow the rule that each lobster must be 3-1/4 inches from the eye socket to the edge of the carapice. They also may only fish during the lobster season which starts on the Saturday preceding the first Wednesday in October through the first Wednesday after the 15th of March. All commercial fishermen must also keep a log of the exact number of legal and illegal lobster they catch.
+Commerical fishers, while not bound to abide by any particular legal quota, must fish during [[lobster season]], which starts on the Saturday preceding the first Wednesday in October through to the first Wednesday after the 15th of March. All commercial fishers must also keep a log of the exact number of legal and illegal lobster they catch.
-The lobster traps have some advantages and some disadvantages over [[SCUBA]] diving and picking the lobster by hand. One advantage of using traps is that a fisherman with one boat can set, pull, and reset over 100 traps in one day, making it much more efficient that doing a few dives looking for lobster. With that many traps out, a fisherman could collect anywhere from 100 lobster to 1000 lobster. Lastly, the traps are not held back by the constraints of SCUBA such as depth, underwater time, or water conditions.
+Using lobster traps allows a fisher to harvest far more lobsters in the same amount of time than does [[SCUBA]] diving to catch lobster by hand.  A fisher with one boat can set, pull, and reset over 100 traps a day, making traping a much more efficient means than diving.  With the use of that many traps, a fisher could collect anywhere from 100 to 1000 lobster.  Using traps is moreover not held back by what limits SCUBA - water depth, the time a diver can remain underwater, and the water conditions during diving.
-There are quite a few areas in the world in which lobster fishing is common : some include southern california, the Canadian Maritimes.
+Areas where lobster fishing is common include [[southern California]], [[New England]], and the [[Canadian Maritimes]].