1.   Brancaleone dismissed as propaganda the charge that the drag nets kill and maim lobsters.

2.   Fishermen primarily use drag nets or purse seines to trap the fish.

3.   Massachusetts prohibits drag nets within its waters, which extend three miles from the coast.

4.   Tackling an issue that has split the commercial fishing industry, the state House Monday approved a measure to discourage the use of drag nets in lobstering.