WHAT ARE TRAPS?
Traps are simple, passive fishing gear that allow fish to enter and then make it hard for them to escape. This is often achieved by:
putting chambers in the trap or pot that can be closed once the fish enters;
having a funnel that makes it difficult for the fish to escape (Figure 17, p. 20).
Smaller traps are generally fully covered except for the entrance or entrances, while larger traps that extend above the water level are often left open at the top.
TYPES OF TRAPS AND POTS
People in different parts of the world are not always referring to exactly the same things when they use the words "trap" and "pot". In general, traps are large structures fixed to the shore. Pots are smaller, movable traps, enclosed baskets or boxes that are set from a boat or by hand.
A simple system for the naming of traps and pots was produced by von Brandt in 1959 for FAO and is used in this manual. General types of traps and pots include:
traps that form barriers to fish movement, including walls or dams, fences, fyke nets, gratings and watched chambers that can be closed by the fisher after the fish enters (Figure 2);
traps that make hiding places (habitat traps), including brush traps and octopus pots (Figures 3a and 3c);
tubular traps, which are narrow funnels or hoses that stop the fish from getting out backwards; eel tubes fall into this category (Figure 3b);
traps that are mechanically closed by the fish, including gravity traps or box traps, bent-rod traps (whipping bough traps), torsion traps, drying net and snares;
baskets, which are enclosed traps and pots usually with a structure to make escape difficult; they include pots made of wood, wire or plastic, conical and drum-like traps made of netting with hoops and frames (e.g. drum nets) and box-like traps made with strong frames (Figures 4, 5 and 6);
