Background - 31 March, 2014
Pots, traps or ‘creels’ include a variety of designs that take the form of cages or baskets with one or more openings or entrances, with or without bait. They are usually set on the seabed, either singly or in rows, and are connected by ropes (buoy lines) to buoys on the surface to show their position. Animals enter through a one-way opening and then can’t escape.
Targets
Bottom dwelling fish or crustaceans - commonly lobsters and crabs
How they work
Pots, traps or 'creels' include a variety of designs that take the form of cages or baskets with one or more openings or entrances, with or without bait. They are usually set on the seabed, either singly or in rows, and are connected by ropes (buoy lines) to buoys on the surface to show their position. Animals enter through a one-way opening and then can't escape.
Advantages
Specific species can be attracted by targeting certain areas and using particular types of bait. Any juveniles or unwanted species that are caught can usually be removed from traps without injury and returned to the sea alive.
Problems
Buoy lines are known to entangle marine mammals. A few fisheries have problems with young seals getting their heads stuck in traps and drowning, but there are measures available to prevent this.