ghost fishing lobster pots--marine myth??

[lenten]

on mbm spot the pot thread feneris has posted a link to usa site showing lost ghost fishing pots---it doesn t equate with my experience---i used to fish a 100 scottish type parlour creels with small necks---these hold the catch very well but if i couldn t get out to them for a week they contained practically b-gger all---the video seemed odd too --a thirty foot boat 2 men and one creep--didn t seem like an effiecent way of catching dead lobster pots----any other fisherman/ex fishermen care to comment----ghost fishing pots- real or myth-----regards lentenrose

 

[simon barefoot]

I agree but I cant explain why. If a string had to be left for a week, say, due to weather then there'd be nothing in them. Maybe dead crab isnt a good crab bait?

 

[fisherman]

Depends on the pot. If it has a parlour and the animals cannot get to where they came in it will hold fish until the hen crabs chew the net through, a few days on old or previously repaired netting, longer for new net, depends on gauge, the crabs always find a repair and chew through it again. If they get to see the neck they will go when the bait is gone. Soft eyes hang on better, but the lightweight netting in the soft eye is vulnerable. Pots left 3 months over winter with no bait will be full of cock crabs when lifted, they seem to be 'nesting' and are happy enough not to chew the netting.

 

[lenten]

thats interesting fisherman---i don t know much about catching crabs---there wasn t any worthwhile crabs where i was fishing---my pots were made for specifically for catching lobsters--necks tapered to four and a quarter inches baited with salted conger and empty after a few days----regards lentenrose