forecast

Friends Awaiting Word from Missing Lobster Fishermen

Some lobster fishermen haven’t been heard from in several hours after trying to move traps out of the path Hurricane Irma.

According to fellow commercial fisherman, Mike Henry, three or four fishermen had picked up lobster traps and were moving them closer to the Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles west of Key West, where the water is deeper.

“They were trying to get them out of the way of the storm and put them out there,” Henry said.

The men haven’t been heard from since 10:30 pm Friday night.

"These are all really good fishermen and they've been on the water a long time," he said.

Henry thinks the men weren’t aware the hurricane had shifted directions from earlier forecasts.

“We’re hoping that they learned this thing was going their way and they’re on their way back here before it gets too bad,” Henry said.

Henry said the winds and waves from hurricanes can be damaging to lobster traps.

“I’ve seen traps hanging from the telephone wires,” he said. “If it gets really bad we, the lobster fishermen, will lose everything – all our gear that’s in the water.”

Contact Us