subject: Fish Trap- An Effective Fishing Equipment [print this page] The activity of catching fish is known as fishing. Fishes are usually caught in the wild. Various techniques for catching fishes include spearing, hand gathering, netting, trapping and angling. The fishing equipment used to capture fishes that swim along with the current is known as a fish trap. The fishing equipment is also known as a fish weir. The structure of a fish weir is made of stones, fibre, reeds, wooden posts, chicken wires and steel wires.
Fish traps are usually positioned at the edge of a tidal lagoon, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. These traps are periodically lifted. When a fish enters inside the trap through its opening the chicken wire opening goes back to its original narrowness and the fish gets trapped inside the weir.
Fish traps are primarily used to capture bait fishes. They are widely used for trapping 'non game' fishes, such as suckers and catfish. These fishing equipment are also used for catching other aquatic organisms, such as cephalopods, molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms.
These fishing equipment were developed by complex hunter-gatherers across the world during the Archaic period in North America, the Mesolithic period in Europe and the Jomon period in Asia.
Fish traps are dated by radiocarbon dating process. The basketry and wooden stakes used to make the traps are studied thoroughly to determine the actual age of the equipment. Other things that can help the scholars to determine the actual age of the equipment are fish bones, pollen, charcoal and other organic sediments. Other methods used by scientists to determine the actual age of fishing equipment include identifying local environmental changes, such as formation of sand bars and changing sea level, that would affect the use of the traps. Dating fish weirs enables the scientists to collect information about several ancient fish hunter-gatherer societies and different methods of fish trapping used by them.
The styles, designs and materials used to manufacture the fishing equipment largely depends on the climatic conditions of the region and behavior of the local fishes. The basic construction and operation of fishing weirs is same world-wide. These fishing equipment are available in a variety of styles, designs, sizes and shapes, including circular, ovoid rings and wedge-shaped. Fishing traps can be classified as permanent traps and semi-permanent traps.
If placed properly, fish traps can help you to trap a large number of fishes. These equipment are usually positioned in shallow water near rocks. It is not necessary to check or lift the trap regularly, since the fishes remain alive and unhurt inside the weir. Sometimes the fishes trapped in a fish weir are harvested on a seasonal basis.
