Abstract

The applicability of a method, based on varing distance between traps, for estimating attraction area (Aat) and effective fishing area (Aef), for Cancer porteri caught with experimental traps, was tested. Based on fishing experiments, where lines of traps were set with different spacing between them, the minimum distance at which Aat of adjacent traps did not overlap was estimated. This provided an estimate of Aat of 9348 m2/trap. To estimate Aef, an exponential decay function for the probability of capture within the Aat was assumed; Aef was estimated at 577 m2/trap, similar to values estimated for other shallow water crustaceans using SCUBA for calibration. This is inferior to estimates calibrated with underwater photography for crustaceans at greater depths. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.