WILLEMSTAD - During a regular patrol, a coast guard team, sailing on board a Metal Shark, saw two men fishing for lobsters and sea snails (karkos). The men carried many lobsters and sea snails that were too small. Under the Fisheries Decree, fishing for sea snails smaller than 18 centimeters is prohibited.
Fishing for shedding lobsters, egg-bearing lobsters or those smaller than 25 centimeters is also prohibited. Fishing these immature animals threatens them with extinction. The animals do not get a chance to grow, so they cannot provide new growth. The coast guards confiscated the animals, and the men were fined. All lobsters and sea snails were later returned to the sea.