Abstract

Recent modifications to lionfish trap designs improve fishing efficiency and make it possible to engage the commercial fishing community in further evaluation. Following successful early tests with prototype traps, a folding “purse” design was developed to reduce size and enable transport of a larger number of traps on fishing vessels. Coupled with a streamlined fish aggregation device (FAD), the purse trap travels vertically through the water column during deployment and retrieval, reducing drag and facilitating fishing operations. The National Marine Fisheries Service in the U.S. is planning to seek further testing and refinements on these FAD-based, non-containment curtain traps by issuing Exempted Fishing Permits to selected fishing professionals who will also evaluate capture proficiency, trap effectiveness in different environments, and several areas of potential risk, including bycatch, habitat impacts, entanglement of marine mammals and turtles, and ghost-fishing. We also expect fishermen will help determine the most appropriate trap construction materials and techniques, gear configurations (ground tackle, harness, lines, and floats) and fishing techniques (e.g., single traps vs. trawls).

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