The ups and downs of traps: environmental impacts, entanglement, mitigation, and the future of trap fishing for crustaceans and fish (2024)

FAQs

What is the environmental impact of traps? ›

Trap fishing causes direct impacts on benthic habitats during setting and retrieval, including dragging along the seafloor, which can lead to the damage and destruction of habitat components such as corals, sponges, and other epifauna.

The widespread use of traps in fish and decapod surveys is due to several characteristics like their low cost, flexible design, ease of use, ability to fish unattended, and being amenable to pairing with other gears.

Apart from the obvious issues of species extinction, overfishing has a huge impact on marine ecosystems and the climate. “Overfishing and destructive fishing not only devastates fish populations and wildlife, breaks down the food web and degrades habitats,” says Hubbard.

Traps and pots are submerged three-dimensional wire or wood devices that permit organisms to enter the enclosure but make escape extremely difficult or impossible. Bait is commonly secured in the trap to lure organisms inside, where they wait until fishermen return to retrieve the catch and re-bait the traps.

Types. Most of the traps used for mammals can be divided into six types: foothold traps, body gripping traps, snares, deadfalls, cages, and glue traps.

Many animals die trying to free themselves, next to dehydration, blood loss and hypothermia. Often animals become so desperate, they resort to chewing or wringing off their own trapped limb in order to escape, breaking teeth and bones in the process. Trappers refer to this as 'ring-off'.

If placed correctly, traps can be very effective. It is usually not necessary to check the trap daily, since the fish remain alive inside the trap, relatively unhurt. Because of this, the trap also allows for the release of undersized fish as per fishing regulations.

Trapping helps protect endangered species and migratory birds, restore species in decline, prevent and reduce property damage, and control destructive invasive species.

Marine debris

Recent research has shown that, by mass, fishing debris, such as buoys, lines, and nets, account for more than two-thirds of large plastic debris found in the oceans. In the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, fishing nets alone comprise at least 46% of the debris.

Some traps are baited with fish caught elsewhere, leading to unnecessary stresses on those populations. Trapping requires a varied duration of time between setting the trap and collecting the catch, requiring longer wait times and more trips on the boat.

How do traps harm the environment? ›

Impacts to Corals and Hardbottom Habitats

Movement of traps can cause 20 percent loss of living hard coral, soft corals and sponges (Lewis et al. 2009). An average of 18 storms move traps each fishing season. Traps usually move about ten feet on the reef during storms, but move much further during hurricanes.

Traps are baited so fish will be attracted to the scent of the bait and swim through the entrance. The traps are designed in a way so that fish cannot escape once inside the trap. Fish traps have escape gaps of a minimum size to ensure that juvenile and non-target fish are able to escape.

Trapping helps protect endangered species and migratory birds, restore species in decline, prevent and reduce property damage, and control destructive invasive species.

Lost traps and debris can cause damage to coral, submerged aquatic vegetation, and epifauna, especially if moved by storms.

Trapping in ecology is the process of capturing and confining a target animal for purposes such as: Research. Pest control. Wildlife habitat management.