With the official start of the 2005-2006 spiny lobster season yesterday, a handful of commercial fishermen with lobster licences will be participating in an experimental fishery at Challenger Bank for the first time in 15 years.

The prized shellfish have not been harvested from Challenger Bank since the 1990 Fish Pot ban and it is believed that the adult lobster population has probably increased significantly over the last 15 years.

The experimental fishery began yesterday and will run to December 31. It is limited to a few commercial fishermen with documented experience using traps on the bank.

There will also be a maximum of eight fishermen participating in the experimental fishery, all of whom will be chosen from the 28 licensed lobster fishermen.

These licensed fishermen will be using a total of 336 Government-issued lobster traps.

The experimental fishery will be conducted on the crown of Challenger Bank to avoid conflict with fishing vessels trawling the edge for pelagic species such as wahoo and tuna.

A Government spokesman said all lobster traps will be marked with surface flag buoys and identified with individual numbered tags.

Fishermen and residents are advised not to tamper with or to hang on to the buoys as traps could be dragged off the edge and lost. It is anticipated that landings from the Challenger Bank experimental fishery will enhance the quantity and quality of lobsters available to the market this season. At last count, 475 recreational lobster divers have been licensed this season to capture lobsters using only a noose. These recreational users of the lobster resource are also restricted in their catches as there is a bag limit of two lobsters a day.