Fish traps are a traditional fishing gear and have been used worldwide to catch a variety of fish species that live on or near the sea floor. Fish traps are designed to make it difficult for them to escape.
Key details
- Features: light, simple to use, work 24/7, most conditions
- Benefits: targets select species, passive, low stress for fish
- Locations: rivers, estuaries, bays
- Species: javelin fish, estuary cod, bream, golden snapper
- Existing commercial fisheries: worldwide (including Australia)
Fish traps are a passive fishing gear. Passive gears are left in place for a period before retrieval. These gears either attract fish using bait or passively wait for a fish to swim into them. Fish are trapped in the chamber before being hauled onto a boat.
Fish traps can be designed with specific entrance sizes, mesh sizes and escape vents. This allows for species selectivity and reduces the capture of non-target species and undersized fish.
Fish traps rely on fish behaviour to ensure they will enter a trap. This means that they often only work for certain species.
Design
The diagram illustrates the design and components of a fish trap, highlighting features that enhance its functionality and minimise environmental impact:
A float is positioned at the surface of the water to mark the trap's location and assist in retrieval. A rope is used to connect the surface float to the trap. This rope is designed to sink, reducing the risk of entanglement with marine life or vessels.
Additional floats are attached to the trap itself to ensure it remains upright underwater.
The trap features an entrance specifically shaped to allow fish to enter while excluding other animals, such as turtles, to prevent bycatch. The trap includes escape panels made of materials that will degrade or rot away quickly if the trap is lost. This feature prevents "ghost fishing," where lost traps continue to capture marine life unintentionally.
A canister is included to hold bait, attracting fish into the trap. Lights or other attractants can be used to lure fish into the trap or deter protected species from approaching. A camera is installed to monitor fish behaviour and assess the trap's effectiveness.
Low weight and less waste
Being a low-impact gear type, fish traps provide benefits such as minimising waste by allowing for target fish to be selected and non-target species to be safely returned to water.
Current designs are low-weight and use small anchors to reduce ghost fishing and dragging of gear, preventing damage to the seabed and other shallow habitats.
Depending on the size and style of fish traps, commercial fishing vessels may require vessel modifications such as pot haulers to make them efficient for use.
Less stress, better taste
The use of traps is associated with lower overall stress for fish and less physical damage to the fish, compared to trawling and netting. This outcome produces a better quality of seafood.
Given that fish are live at the point of capture, fish traps could open access to new markets and allow for product to be processed in a way that could obtain a higher market value. Allowing fish to be live at the point of capture also improves the chances of non-target species being released alive.
Low cost and fuel efficient
Fish traps are considered a low-cost and fuel efficient fishing gear. Materials are easily adaptable to suit fishing needs and require less active fishing time to deploy.
Traps can be designed to target a range of different species and work across a variety of areas. They can be adjusted to ensure they work with the size, shape and behaviours of the target species, including modifying the position or length of the entry funnel.
More information
Fish-LIGHT is led by the Department of Primary Industries, and co-funded by the:
- Queensland Government
- Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.
Contact
Last updated: 03 Feb 2026