When Government?s lottery for new commercial lobster fishing licences takes place tomorrow, almost a dozen fishermen will be going home empty handed.

Of the 27 commercial lobster fishery licences being issued by the Department of Environmental Protection, only 14 will be made available by lottery for the remaining commercial fishermen in Bermuda ? believed to be about 25.

The new lottery system will ultimately mean that commercial lobster fishermen who have invested thousands of dollars on their boats and equipment over the past year, stand to lose up to to $40,000 over the winter.

Under the new system, 13 licences will be reserved for fishermen aged 65 and over, or with at least 25 years experience.

The remaining 14 licences will be allocated by lottery from a pool of about 25 eligible fishermen.

Government seems incapable of understanding that the lobster fishermen do not want the lottery, one fisherman?s wife charged ? and the profession is dying as a result.

?If you take into consideration the time and money that?s spent in preparing for the lobster season and then eight days before the season starts you find out you don?t have a licence ? it?s just not worth it,? she said.

On average commercial lobster fishermen only make $28,000 a season after expenses.

?Commercial lobster fishing is just not a long-term sustainable proposition anymore,? she said.

The woman ? who refused to be named ? said her husband spent $5,000 over the year preparing for the upcoming season and he still did not know if his name would be drawn from the lottery or not.

Government should have reached some decision on lobster licences earlier in the year, not two weeks before the season starts, she added.

She said Environmental Minister Neletha Butterfield did not seem to understand that it was not just about taking a boat out and bringing back lobsters.

?To participate in the commercial lobster industry you need a boat with special reinforced sides so that the lobster pots do not cause any damage,? she said.

?You also need to invest in ropes and buoys which can cost up to $800, a wench, depending on whether its electrical or not, can cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000.

?You also need to store up bait so you need a second freezer, which means using more electricity and once you receive the pots, you need to spend about $700 fitting these out with the necessary weights and funnels.?

Then there?s an addition $1,500 for the commercial lobster licence if they are lucky enough to get one.

While some fishermen will be able to weather the challenges others will not, she suggested.

?Some of the older guys who are getting their licences this year don?t fish throughout the year, they have full-time jobs and do this for extra money,? she said. ?But for most of us, the lobster season pays our mortgages.?

She said the previous policy was that there were 22 fishermen with 14 pots each ? which dropped down to ten pots each on December 1 when they came inshore ? and in order for a newcomer to get one of the 22 licences, a licensee had to give up his licence or pass away.

?Then Fisheries would hold a lottery from eligible fisherman with experience in lobster fishing, to fill that vacancy,? she said.

She said if Fisheries wanted to conserve lobsters, then reducing the number of recreational licences should be considered.

There are currently about 500 recreational lobster divers who catch an average of 1,500 spiny lobsters a season.

That?s about $40,500 worth of lobsters over the seven-month period if the going rate is $27 a lobster.

The Permanent Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, Wayne Carey, issued a statement on Friday in which he said preference will be given to experienced fishermen because it is more ?efficient?.

?The Ministry will review the lobster fishery data at the end of the season and determine whether any changes are required in the way the fishery is managed,? he said.

Mr. Carey also responded to complaints that a recent meeting held to discuss the new policy was attended by just one official and that the Minister of the Environment was absent.

?There were in fact two technical officers present, not one,? he said.

He said the Minister and Permanent Secretary do not ?normally? attend the meetings with fishermen, or meetings dealing with the organisation and conduct of the commercial lobster fishery.

?Had the fishermen requested the Minister or myself, we would have surely attended,? he said.

?While it has been difficult to please everyone, we believe we now have a policy which is equitable, expands opportunity and is in keeping with the goals of prudent fisheries management.?

The lottery draw is set to take place tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. and those who are lucky enough to get a licence will be allowed to drop their pots in the water on August 30 ? an unrealistic timeline according to fishermen who say it takes more than a week to get the pots and other equipment ready.