Incidentally, it may be noted that Dogger Bank itch, a hazard of trawler fishermen, first described by Bonnevie (1948) and subsequently by Newhouse (1966) and Schilling et al. (1966), was found to be due to a marine animal, Alcyonidium hirsutum or Alcyonidium gelatinosum.Since the summer of 1967 one of the men investigated has purchased an American-manufactured "Hydroslave automatic pot hauler." This device is fitted to the boat and raises the lobster pots mechanically after the marker float has been lifted, by hand, out of the water and attached to the machine. Manual hauling on the ropes is unnecessary. Our first patient has installed a small capstan in his boat to haul up the pots mechanically.
SummaryDermatological lesions may be seen in lobster fishermenthese are chiefly the result of physical and chemical trauma and infection. One case of sensitization to the " diatom weed " which collects on the lobster-pot ropes is recorded. It seems likely that the active constituent of this weed is Fragilaria striatula.We would like to thank Dr. J. Lloyd Lewis for his assistance in this work.