Sure they definitely do wash ashore, and yes, as I mentioned there are still some stored in the parking lot of Fisherman's Beach. However, as you noted, these are their livelihood, and are generally shained together and not easily there, free for the taking. Plus you're under the immediate view (in that storage area) of every car passing by within 10-15 feet of you on one of the two the busiest streets in town, with a couple restaurants directly across the street, apartments above, a whole set of condos to the right (still within view) and a whoe hillside of homes with huge picture windows going up immediately from the other side of the street. Not the place to start cuttings chains and cables and stealing things (but not impossible). I would say it would be likely that if a pot were stolen from a storage site, it was probably not there. The lynn marinas are far more removed from the roadside (i.e., out of view) and not in heavily populated areas, and might be a better spot to steal one, if you were so inclined. I have no idea if or how many people are storing pots there, though. Or you could find one that had washed up, but growing up in in Swampscott and also spending time living in the town next door, I can assure you that it's not like every time you go to th ebeach you find a washed-up pot. They DO wash up, but rarely, and most often in droves (as in your picture) after a big storm event.
