Fishers use lobster traps to catch lobsters during inshore or offshore fishing. The average weight of one lobster trap ranges from 40kgs to 65kgs. It is made of plastic-coated wire mesh. The wire is intertwined, leaving funnel-like openings where the lobsters enter through. The traps are aligned along a trawl line to ensure multiple traps are hauled at once.
Lobster traps work by luring lobsters into them and then closing their escape. Fishermen place bait into lobster traps and then lower them to the ocean floor. Lobsters wander into the traps in search of food, and the trap’s door closes behind them. The fishermen then raise the trap to the surface.
The number of traps on the trawl line varies depending on the water levels and licensed zone. This trap was invented many years back and it is still functional and practical. Before, it used to be made out of wood, but the modern ones are made using plastic wires or metals. The design is still the same.
But, how do lobster traps work? It is easy. Lobsters are deep seas and oceans habitat, and they dwell in ocean depths of about 20-100 feet. The traps are made so that it will be easy for lobsters to walk into the trap. Once they get in, it becomes very difficult for them to get out. The traps are divided into two sections; the first part is the kitchen, while the other is the parlor.
What bait do they put in lobster traps?
Lobster eats a lot of things, and they are attracted to small fish such as tuna and mackerel. To trap lobster, you will need bait. Bait makes them enter the trap; otherwise, they won’t because there is nothing to go for. Most fishermen use salted herring as bait, while some use some small dried fish. The salted herring or dried fish is kept in the bait bag.
The bait bag is a small bag with holes usually hung inside the trap. The bait bag is placed in the kitchen. Ensure the bags are not too close on the outer part because the lobsters can reach them without getting in the trap. Once the bait is placed in the kitchen, the trap is hauled into the waters, ready to catch the lobster.
The smell of the bait attracts the lobsters to get into the traps through the funnel-like openings. Once it gets in the kitchen, it gets the bait out of the bad and eats it. The bait bags are dispensable. Herring is a commercial bait, and when the fishing is at its peak, the supply goes down sometimes. Most fishermen use frozen fish as bait because they have a longer lifespan, and they do not easily rot when left in the water for long hours.
How deep do lobster traps go?
The most essential part of a fisherman’s catch success is the position of his daily trap. Most lobsters like to hide in rock crevices and seaweeds. The fishermen set their traps in these areas. Lobsters live in a water depth of not less than 100 feet, but sometimes they can go up to a depth of 100 feet below the water surface. During the day, lobsters hide in sand or rocks.
Lobster traps are aligned along a trawl line for easy casting and retrieving. The trawl line is connected to buoys that keep floating on the water surface. Buoy helps the fishermen to locate their traps quickly. Under the water surface, lobster traps are held in place by a concrete block.
This block prevents the traps from being swayed away by the ocean waves. Fishing is not a one-day event. Once the traps are tossed to the seafloor, they can stay there for several days under the surveillance of the fishermen. The traps can be checked once per day. The natural resource department keeps a limit of not more than 800 traps per person.
You may wonder with this kind of depth; how do lobstermen retrieve their traps after casting them? They raise the trap using a pole with a hook on one end and a pulley on the other end. The hooked end is deep into the water and grabs the trap, and the pulley is rotated until the trap is at the edges of the boat. After which, they open the trap and sort out the lobsters. Those with less than 3 inches size and females with eggs are taken back to the sea. The size of the lobster is determined by the dorsal section, the area between the head and the tail.
How efficient are lobster traps?
Lobster traps have been in the market since 1800. A lot of development has taken place in their model, but the design has remained the same. The traditional lobster traps had a top entry funnel which did not work well because of the nature of movement in lobsters. The modern traps have a more effective side entry. Considering the behavior of the lobster is the only way to determine the efficiency of the traps. The modern traps are more efficient due to the following features.
The funnel entry is high above the base
Spiny lobsters tend to crawl on the floor, and they can escape through the openings. This is not an expected behavior in fishes because most of them rise to the top when trapped, and they may not locate the funnel entry.
They are Semi-cylindrical in shape
These traps a semi-cylindrical top and a flat bottom. This shape helps in offering more excellent stability, and the water current does not easily sway it.
Covered structure
Lobster hide under the rocks and seawater during the day. At this time, all they want is shelter. Therefore, a covered trap will give them a perfect place to hide. They are highly attracted to anything that can shelter them.
Small holes
The entire trap is covered with a plastic-coated wire that leaves small holes that cannot allow any lobster to escape through. Also, the base of the traps has small holes to prevent the lobster from crawling into the mud and escape.
The bait is secured with a bait bag. Bait is the only thing that will drive the lobster into the trap. Putting it into a bait bag helps keep it in place and prevents it from being carried away by the ocean currents. The bait bag is usually hanged inside the lobster trap.
Modified gears
Initially, traditional lobster traps used to have long gears that caused injuries to marine lives. In most cases, ghost fishing occurred Due to repeated interaction between static and mobile gear. Ghost fishing is when the trap detaches itself from the trawl, which means it will be trapping lobsters out of control. Today’s gears are improved and are accurately placed by GPS.
The kitchen is always the first place the lobster gets into because that is where the bait is placed. Once the lobster gets the baits, it tries to escape through the second funnel, which takes it to the parlor. The lobster gets trapped in the parlor because all openings are funnel-shaped, which means it cannot exit.
Even though lobster fishing may sound very easy, it requires a lot of physical work. It entails working under unfavorable weather conditions, unpredictable environments, and long working hours. It requires a lot of patience. Fishermen who go out fishing lobster often find themselves exposed to hard mental and physical work.
There are regulations governing lobster fishing. The natural resource department allows catching lobster fish with a minimum of 3 inches and a maximum of 5 inches. So, if the trap catches a lobster with less the 3 inches, it should be returned to the waters.
How long do lobster traps stay in the water?
A fisherman will place a bag of bait in each trap. A rope connects it to a floating buoy, which serves as a marker for its location. Buoys are painted with specific colors that each fisherman registers, making it easier to identify who owns which trap.
Each trap is allowed to soak or spend two or three days in the water. The fishing boat then returns to extract the traps. The fisherman will pull the trap up using a gaffe, a special hook intended for this purpose, to catch the buoy. The trap line is dragged into the boat and attached to a trap hauler or a pulley which is used to lift the trap from the bottom of the sea.
The trapped lobsters are sorted with size, keeping the required size and returning the rest to the sea. After this, the bait bags are replaced and then tossed back into the ocean and stay again for 2-3 days before correcting them.
Conclusion
This brings us to end of this guide. Lobster traps are designed differently from the rest of the traps in fishing; hence their working mechanism is questionable. Despite their unique structure, lobster traps work quite simple. They are designed specifically to catch lobster fish. Their covered structure is adaptive to lobster behavior of craving shelter during the day; thus, the trap will attract more lobsters. The traps have a funnel-shaped entry that leads the lobster direct into the trap. Once they get in, it is hard for them to get out.
