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HOLYOKE - Six Holyoke men were charged Saturday with stealing 94 lobsters, most of them undersized, and damaging traps in waters off Stonington, Conn.


"It is an issue in this community," said Stonington police Sgt. Bruce R. Smith. "We have the only commercial fishing fleet in the state. Unfortunately this is common here. They find their traps tampered with all the time." Arrested were Felix O. Figueroa, 50, of 107 Newton St.; Gilberto Rivera, 19, of 95 Newton St.; Jose Lopez, 51, of 99 Newton St.; Oscar Guzman, 38, of 304 Chestnut St.; Ismael Torres, 37, and Ismael Torres Jr., 17, both of 113 Newton St.


Each was charged with taking lobsters without a license, larceny of lobsters, molesting traps and possession of undersize lobster. Police said 71 of the 94 lobsters were below legal size.


Figueroa was also charged with possession of marijuana.


Stonington police Sgt. James G. McCaffery said the men were launching a 15-foot boat just before midnight Friday at a state boat launch, when a state Department of Environmental Protection officer noticed they did not have enough life preservers and told them not to launch.


"They subsequently launched, so the DEP officer issued a ticket for insufficient life jackets. As he was leaving a ticket on the windshield, he observed marijuana in the vehicle and notified the Stonington police," McCaffery said.


"As they left the area about 4 in the morning, they were stopped by Patrolman Randy Holt for driving without lights on the boat trailer. As he approached the vehicle, he saw there were lobsters loose in the boat," McCaffery said.


Guzman and Ismael Torres Sr. were held by police until a court appearance yesterday. The others were released and are scheduled for an Aug. 4 hearing in Connecticut.


"Besides the theft, there was damage to the lobster traps which will have to be repaired," Smith said.