Frontiers in Marine Science (Jun 2014)
Redesigning octopus traps
Abstract
Octopus, squids, lobsters, cuttlefish, etc., are traditionally caught with traps that are placed in the seabed for several months. Nowadays, the traps (Covos) used in the North of Portugal are made of a rigid structure of cast iron covered with a 152 to 229 mm polypropylene mesh. During the stay in the seabed, occurs the formation of encrustations on the mesh due to adherence of barnacles, polychaetes, seaweeds, among other organisms, reducing its efficiency. To avoid this situation, the traps must be cleaned every time through a time consuming process with pressure water. Additionally, the cast iron structure becomes heavily corroded due to the sea water itself, thus reducing its life time. Also, the transport and storage of traps are very difficult, owing to its high weight and current design. In order to minimise the identified problems in the actual traps, the present work proposes a new design with the aim of reducing the volume and weight during transport, and also during onshore storage. Alternative materials to avoid corrosion and formation of encrustations were also proposed.
Keywords
