Lobster trap

A baited enclosure used to catch lobsters, designed to let them enter while making escape difficult.

Parlor trap: A lobster trap with an inner chamber that makes escape harder after a lobster passes through an entrance. Its extra chamber adds a second barrier beyond the trap’s entrance.
Lobster fishing: The capture of lobsters for food or commerce using traps, nets, or other fishing methods. Traps are a principal tool in many lobster fisheries.
Bycatch: Animals unintentionally caught during fishing for a different target species. Traps can capture animals other than lobsters, depending on their design and location.
Lobster pound: A coastal enclosure used to keep live lobsters before sale or transport. Pounds helped preserve live catches made with traps before modern cold storage.
Funnel entrance: A narrow, inward-pointing opening that allows animals to enter an enclosure but impedes their return. Lobster traps use inward-pointing openings to make the route back out difficult.
American lobster fishery: The commercial fishery targeting American lobster in the western North Atlantic. Its vessels deploy and retrieve large numbers of baited traps.
Marine debris: Human-made solid material that is discarded, lost, or abandoned in marine environments. Lost trap components contribute to debris on the seabed and in coastal waters.
Lobster fishing in Maine: The historical and contemporary fishery for American lobster along Maine’s coast. Maine’s fishery is closely associated with the wooden and wire trap tradition.
Lobster bait: Food placed in a trap to attract lobsters, commonly including fish or other seafood. Its scent draws lobsters toward the trap’s entrance.
Lobster buoy: A floating marker connected by a line to lobster fishing gear on the seabed. Buoys mark trap locations and connect submerged gear to the fishing vessel.

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