In Search of Bugs
Local California Spiny Lobster Words and Photos by Rosminah Brown
Scott Engelman with his catch.
O
n a sunny afternoon, we drive out to Goleta Beach, set up the gear, unload a two-person kayak and drag it to the water. Within minutes we’ve pushed beyond the waves and are paddling our way past the pier. Once we’ve found a favorite spot, it’s time. Scott pulls on his SCUBA tanks and slides into the ocean, while I either put on snorkeling gear to free dive or, more likely, I grab a book and wait it out on the undulating currents, looking for the telltale sign of air bubbles popping up. If it’s a good day, the visibility in the water will be good, and if we’re lucky, Scott will return with bugs. That’s spiny lobster to the rest of us. So this is Scott Engelman. He is originally from landlocked Colorado and grew up in the great outdoors. Once he moved 30 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2016
to Santa Barbara over 10 years ago, he fell in love with the Pacific Ocean. He’s a regular guy, in the sense that he had little experience with ocean life and what he’s learned is self-motivated and self-taught, plus getting SCUBA certified through UCSB in 2009. While he enjoys diving year-round, it’s October through March that particularly interests him—this is the spiny lobster season. Even amateur lobster hunting requires a standard ocean fishing license, plus an additional lobster report card to record every dive attempt and the number of lobsters taken. There is also a daily limit of seven and a minimum size requirement. The report card must be submitted to California Department of Fish and Wildlife by the end the month following the season