Excess of Commercial Fishing Licenses

Commercial lobster divers are still trying to get the state to reduce the regulations imposed on their industry. They are blaming the sport divers (“Lobster Season--With a Catch,” Oct. 8) for the strain on this resource.

Most sport divers catch two or three lobsters a season--if they dive for game at all. Sport divers must use only their hands to catch lobsters, and (because the lobsters are) nocturnal, night diving is the only way to be sure to see lobsters. It’s dark and cold out there on fall and winter nights.

All the sport divers in the county could never make a dent in the lobsters taken by 4,500 traps in place 24 hours a day, every day of the season just in south Orange County. A fine recreational resource is being overfished and sold to Taiwan at $20 a pound. I believe the state issues too many commercial licenses.

DAVID G. SOLT

Irvine