Last Friday, a lobster rescue occurred in the tidepools. Visitors reported that a lobster trap with lobsters in it was seen north of Zone 1 in the tidepools. TPERP Coordinator Pauline and Ranger Donny went to inspect the reported lobster cage. They confirmed the report.

Lobster traps occasionally wash up into the tidepools after breaking loose from outside the tidepools. They are usually weighted down with bricks and have a buoy attached so that the lobster fisherman can find their traps. When the traps do break loose, the bricks also wash up and become part of the tidepools as critters adopt the bricks for their home. Normally what we find in the tidepools are just the empty cages, so when the report came in that live lobsters were seen in the trap, Pauline and Donny jumped into action.

They grabbed some tools from the trailer, including some bolt cutters, and enlisted TPERP Scott, who was working a TPERP shift, to assist them. They carefully headed down to the lobster cage. Here is what they found.

Once Pauline and Donny were able to cut open the lobster cage, TPERP Scott was able to turn the cage over and release the lobsters back into the tidepools.

We now have some more happy lobsters in the tidepools. This was the first lobster rescue of the season.

Well done team!