252 
Fishery Bulletin 99(2) 
Table 3 
Bylaws currently in operation in UK waters pertaining to the use of escape gaps and pot design. 
Cumbria Sea Fisheries Committee Bylaw No. 25: No person shall use or cause to be used for the purpose of fishing for seafish or 
Crustacea any pot, creel or trap constructed of whatever material unless: 
• it has at least one unobstructed escape gap located in the lowest part of the pot, creel or trap or in the case of a parlour pot the 
parlour area; and 
• is so designed and constructed that each escape gap is of sufficient size that there may be easily passed through the escape gap 
and completely passed in to the pot, creel or trap a rigid boxed shaped gauge which shall be a gauge 74 mm wide, 44 mm high 
and 100 mm long. 
States of Jersey Requirements of escape gaps in parlour pots: No person shall use or cause to be used for the purpose of fishing for 
seafish any parlour pot, of whatever material constructed, unless: 
• it has a least one unobstructed escape gap which shall be located in the lowest part of the parlour areas on a side or sides of the 
parlour or the bottom of the parlour pot; and 
• is so designed and constructed that each escape gap is of sufficient size that there may be easily passed through the escape gap 
and completely inserted into the parlour pot, whether the parlour pot is wet or dry, a rigid boxed shaped gauge which - 
• in the case of an escape gap located on a side of the parlour pot, shall be a gauge 79 mm wide, 44 mm high and 100 mm long; 
and 
• in the case of an escape gap located on the bottom of the parlour pot, shall be a gauge 199 mm wide, 44 mm high and 100 mm 
long. 
year). Currently, there is no information on the frequency 
of pot loss in the UK; hence it is presently not possible 
to speculate about the annual death rate of crabs and lob- 
sters from ghost-fishing in the UK. Financial losses to the 
industry are potentially high because lobsters command 
high prices (up to U.S. $12 per kg) whereas brown crab 
market prices have fluctuated between $0.60 and $1.60 
per kg in recent years. However, there is no market for spi- 
der crab in the UK and only a sporadic overseas market 
for this species in countries such as Portugal and Spain. 
All of the initial bait was exhausted after day 27. Pre- 
sumably, as pot residents die, they act as bait luring more 
animals into the traps. We suspect that the fish that died 
would provide a ready source of food for trapped Crus- 
tacea, an observation that concurs with those in related 
studies (Kaiser et al., 1996). Recent studies have shown 
that a similar pattern of capture is observed in lost set 
nets. Over the first few days, catches decline almost expo- 
nentially. Then, for the next few weeks, the decaying bod- 
ies of fishes and Crustacea attract large number of scav- 
enging crustaceans that also become trapped in the gear. 
Thereafter, there appears to be a continuous cycle of cap- 
ture, decay, and attraction for as long as the gear remains 
intact (Carr et al., 1990; Kaiser et al., 1996). 
It is interesting to note that ballan wrasse were caught 
in greater numbers in the traps during the last 65 days of 
the experiment, perhaps when there were fewer Crustacea 
in the pots compared with the beginning of the experi- 
ment. Wrasse seemed to develop wounds on their heads 
that resulted from their attempts to push through the 
mesh of the pot. These became severely infected and we 
believe contributed to their eventual death. Wrasse may 
become trapped within pots when they seek shelter. 
Our estimates of capture rate are probably conservative 
because some animals may escape the traps. Divers found 
several spider crabs that had been tagged in one pot, 
but on the subsequent sampling occasion, they were re- 
corded in a different pot. These animals had escaped one 
trap only to be captured in another. Similarly, Guillory 
( 1993) found that up to 42% of blue crabs ( Callinectes sapi- 
dus) escaped traps. The “ghost-fishing” potential of pots 
also varies for different fisheries and pot designs. For ex- 
ample, Parrish and Kazama (1992) found that the major- 
ity of Hawaiian spiny lobster ( Palinurus marginatus) and 
slipper lobster (Scyllarides squammosus ) were able to es- 
cape traps, whereas parlor-type traps lead to mortalities 
of 12-25% for American lobster ( Homarus americanus) 
(Smolowitz, 1978). Catches in pots are also affected by the 
identity of the initial occupants. For example, Miller and 
Addison (1995) found that the presence of American lob- 
sters within a pot deters entry of smaller crab species. 
Similarly, the presence of recently molted brown crabs 
within pots deterred entry of conspecifics (Addison, 1995). 
Potential losses from the brown crab fishery due to 
ghost-fishing gear could be large. These losses are unde- 
sirable both from a conservation and economic point of 
view. Pot fisheries target species with high individual val- 
ue, hence each loss is expensive. Fishermen in set-net fish- 
eries have taken their own steps to reduce this phenom- 
enon leading to a grapnel survey of the seabed on Georges 
Bank and retrieval of 341 actively fishing ghost nets from 
286 tows (Brothers 3 ). In some fisheries in North America, 
fishermen must fit their pots with escape gaps or escape 
panels that either biodegrade and fall out of the pot after 
a certain length of time, or that have degradable escape 
panel clips. In contrast, there is no UK legislation to force 
3 Brothers, G. 1992. Lost or abandoned fishing gear in the 
Newfoundland aquatic environment. Report of the Symposium 
on Marine Stewardship in the Northwest Atlantic, Department 
of Fisheries and Oceans, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. 
