Dale Pelletier Portland

Whoa! There are enough lies out there about those evil draggers destroying our natural resources and the environment.

As a commercial fisherman, I just couldn't sit back and allow Patrice McCarron's column, "Maine shouldn't let draggers sell lobster bycatch" (Nov. 21), go unchallenged.

First, she says that if draggers were allowed to land lobsters, they would be targeting egg-bearing lobsters and oversized lobsters. Untrue -- we would be subject to the same size restrictions as trap fishermen and no, we would not be allowed to land egg-bearing lobsters.

As far as our gear targeting larger lobsters, there just happens to be more larger lobsters in the deeper water where we fish, and they would be returned to the sea unharmed.

She also said the federal bycatch allowance for draggers is the only law that allows lobsters to be harvested with non-trap gear.

Actually, Maine is the only state that doesn't allow the landing of non-trap-caught lobsters.

She just doesn't want us to be able to make a profit on lobsters we would be catching anyway.

But she's some quick to suggest putting trap-caught lobsters on our fish auction.