Trap or Pot

California fishermen use pots in northern California to catch Dungeness and rock crab, as well as sablefish; in central and southern California waters fishermen deploy traps for spot prawns, which are delivered to market alive. Also in southern California, fishermen use traps to catch spiny lobster, one of the southland's most valuable fisheries, and a variety of crabs, including spider crab and three species of rock crab.

Traps or pots are typically constructed of galvanized wire, sometimes vinyl-coated. Escape ports or rings are an integral feature of these traps, a conservation measure designed to release undersized species. Trap doors are also fastened with bare metal crimps that dissolve in seawater, freeing the catch if the trap is lost.

Brightly painted buoys marked with the fishermen's license number signal the presence of traps in the ocean. Fishermen typically deploy strings of traps, spaced according to the physical characteristics of an area and fishing conditions. Generally traps are set shallow in early fall, then moved deeper with the onset of winter storms.

Fishery seasons of note:

Dungeness Crab

Dungeness crab season in the San Francisco Bay area opens on the second Tuesday in November. The bulk of California's Dungeness crab harvest comes from the northern coastal ports of Crescent City, Eureka, and Fort Bragg, where the season opens on December 1 and extends through July.

California Spiny Lobster

California spiny lobster season opens on the first Wednesday in October and closes on the first Wednesday after March 15.