One could argue that lobsters might have been an endangered species if lobster traps weren't so inefficient. Only 10 percent of lobsters coming across a trap will actually enter and only 6 percent of those do not escape.
Some lobsters that enter traps also fight off other lobsters to keep them from entering the trap. This is because it contains a food source and lobsters don't like sharing.
Lobster traps are cages that are rectangular in shape. They are made of vinyl-coated galvanized steel mesh or wood, with woven mesh entrances. These are then baited and lowered to the sea floor. The traps allow a lobsters entry, but make it difficult for the larger ones to turn around and leave again.
The traps are sometimes referred to as "pots" and have a buoy floating on the surface. Lobstermen check their traps between one and seven days after setting them. Most lobsters can easily escape the trap. By regulation traps must contain an escape hole or "vent", which allows juvenile lobsters and bycatch species to escape.
For the protection of known breeding females, lobsters caught carrying eggs must be notched on the tail flipper second from the right. Those females can not be kept or sold for as long as the mark in the tail is showing – usually about five years.
