A lobster-trap video (LTV) system was developed to determine how lobster traps
fish for Homarus americanus and how behavioural
interactions in and around traps influence catch. LTV consists of a low-light
camera and time-lapse video cassette recorder (VCR) mounted to a standard trap
with optional red LED arrays for night observations. This self-contained
system is deployed like a standard lobster trap and can collect continuous
video recordings for >24 h. Data are presented for 13 daytime deployments
of LTV (114 h of observation) and 4 day and night deployments (89 h of
observation) in a sandy habitat off the coast of New Hampshire, USA. Analyses
of videotapes revealed that traps caught only 6% of the lobsters that
entered while allowing 94% to escape. Of those that escaped, 72%
left through the entrance and 28% through the escape vent. Lobsters
entered the trap at similar rates during the day and night and in sandy and
rocky habitats. Lobsters generally began to approach the trap very shortly
after deployment, and many appeared to approach several times before entering.
These data confirm the results of previous laboratory-based studies in
demonstrating that behavioural interactions in and around traps strongly
influence the ultimate catch.
