Lobster trap video: in situ video surveillance of the behaviour of Homarus americanus in and around traps

Abstract

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.