Trap thieves

[Kyla]

Celebrated Canada Day on the water yesterday. Put my brand new prawn trap with extra weight and 400' of leaded line out near Bird Islet, West Vancouver (between Fishermans cove and Whytecliff) at around 11:00 AM. After picking up guests at a marina was passing by the location around 1:30 PM only to see a large cabin cruiser picking up a trap in the same location as I set mine. (There were no other traps within 3-400 meters when I set mine). When I approached, the boat took off and watching through my bino's I saw a yellow bouy suddenly appear off his starboard side. I retrieved it, and it was mine, with the top line cut. No leaded line, no trap. I confronted the boat, got a variety of answers, a lot of conversation on their end in a foreign language, but no explanation as to what they were doing pulling a trap where mine was, and then they took off. Crab Watch, and RCMP were notified, and both have the full description of boat involved, and the trap, which was rigged differently using locking caribina's and zinc weights.
This is the second full set I've had stolen in the last 10 days in the same area. After the first theft, my bouy was found floating (with top line cut) and returned by a good boater. (my name, phone and boat ID are on the bouy).
I know of two other boaters in Fisherman's that have also lost traps lately. Anyone else suffering similar problems in that area? Anyone living near the waterfront there that has security cameras that may have caught it?

 

[Rain City]

Celebrated Canada Day on the water yesterday. Put my brand new prawn trap with extra weight and 400' of leaded line out near Bird Islet, West Vancouver (between Fishermans cove and Whytecliff) at around 11:00 AM. After picking up guests at a marina was passing by the location around 1:30 PM only to see a large cabin cruiser picking up a trap in the same location as I set mine. (There were no other traps within 3-400 meters when I set mine). When I approached, the boat took off and watching through my bino's I saw a yellow bouy suddenly appear off his starboard side. I retrieved it, and it was mine, with the top line cut. No leaded line, no trap. I confronted the boat, got a variety of answers, a lot of conversation on their end in a foreign language, but no explanation as to what they were doing pulling a trap where mine was, and then they took off. Crab Watch, and RCMP were notified, and both have the full description of boat involved, and the trap, which was rigged differently using locking caribina's and zinc weights.
This is the second full set I've had stolen in the last 10 days in the same area. After the first theft, my bouy was found floating (with top line cut) and returned by a good boater. (my name, phone and boat ID are on the bouy).
I know of two other boaters in Fisherman's that have also lost traps lately. Anyone else suffering similar problems in that area? Anyone living near the waterfront there that has security cameras that may have caught it?

Post a picture of the boat.

I don't leave my prawn traps alone. When I'm prawning I'm prawning and that's it.

 

[Reeltime]

Summer crowd is out and up to no good... some of them, prawn and crab traps aren't safe this time of the year, i buy the cheapest crab traps
knowing they might be ripped off, most of the time they get checked and dumped, sad but prawn traps this time of the year need to be baby sat,
or move to an area where its not a super hwy like where you dropped thats kinda the entrance to the sound, can only imagine all the hungry eyes
looking at that bright yellow bouy... that really sucks man loosing a whole set

 

[Pippen]

Far from being uncommon.

As RC said.....pictures or name of the boat? There are a few well known boats that have been busted many a time.

 

[Oly1]

I was coming home on the ferry (tsawwassen to duke point) the other day and noticed a floating red buoy about half way across. It had nothing on underneath it as it was sitting on its side and rocking back and forth. Hope it wasn’t from thievery but chances are.

Oly

 

[cracked_ribs]

I can't honestly say I have a problem with trap thieves. Figure a whole one has to be a hundred and fifty pounds... that's a lot of bait for the next trap.

 

[SteelyDan]

Couple weeks back I had 4 prawn lines disappear

 

[Fox]

Traps aren’t safe anywhere. I’ve had 3 crab traps disappear same day. I’ve also watched a boat pull up to our prawn traps while we were about 2 miles away “fishing”, started to pull our traps until we high tailed it over to them. They didn’t speak English and couldn’t explain what the F they were doing. You have to watch them if you don’t want to lose them around here.

 

[Rain City]

**** how do you guys let these guys just claim to not know what the hell they were doing?! Shotput a cannon through their deck. Fire a warning flare between their eyes. Geze at a minimum follow them back to the marina and slash their truck tires. I would have a hard time NOT killing someone if I found them doing that.

 

[1marko]

**** how do you guys let these guys just claim to not know what the hell they were doing?! Shotput a cannon through their deck. Fire a warning flare between their eyes. Geze at a minimum follow them back to the marina and slash their truck tires. I would have a hard time NOT killing someone if I found them doing that.

Hmmmm....the thought of sitting on
Ice for 18 + years

 

[Rain City]

Hmmmm....the thought of sitting on
Ice for 18 + years

I know I know Ugh!

 

[Klob]

I recall hearing someone laced their line with a couple of strategic trebles.

 

[nicnat]

the op needs to post at least the name of the boat here and a pic if he has it, we have to know all of these boats other's have been posted in previous threads, maybe someone can save there traps if they see these f--kers in the area when they are dropping and not sticking around for a while, and just maybe someone will recognize the boat and know where it is moored.

 

[Sangstercraft]

This year alone I've reunited three people with prawn and crab traps I've found floating in 1,000' of water in the middle of the strait. So to those who lost their traps, there's a good possibility they just floated away.

Funny enough, of the three separate people I've returned traps to, only one has been courteous enough to say thanks with a bottle of wine!

 

[Sangstercraft]

-- but I too, want to see a pic of this thieving boat!! At the least track it down to its home marina and call the marina and tell them. Maybe they'll get their marina slip revoked at renewal time. Bad press for the marina.

 

[Fox]

This would be that jackass that we caught red handed with our prawn trap.

 

[Fox]

Same boat as above

 

[Chuck]

Probably stole the boat or ripped someone off to get it! Thieves should have their fingers cut off!!

 

[Rain City]

Probably stole the boat or ripped someone off to get it! Thieves should have their fingers cut off!!

They stole from the majority of the population of China that lives in poverty and funnelled their money into Canada where our government greeted them with open arms. This is just a playground for them where they think it's hilarious that people follow rules. There isn't a chinese word for conservation.

 

[macro]

It seems every prawn thief has a nicer boat than I do! I would love to see the book thrown at these people. If you have photos of them stealing your stuff, one would think you could pursue a theft charge.... What did the rcmp say?