"Rigging the Trap", Part 3 of our 5-part Building a Lobster Trap video series

Actual time to complete this part of the build, about 25 minutes.
Rigging the trap is the most time-consuming part of the build. The first entry funnel (hoop) leads to the "Kitchen" where the bait is placed, then a second funnel (middle head) leads the lobsters to the back end of the trap. Once in the back end, there is no escape for a lobster of the legal size (73mm carapace).
Rigging is complicated by the need to include features designed to limit unnecessary lobster deaths. Biodegradable twine is included in some parts of the rigging. If traps are lost, this rots, allowing any trapped lobsters to escape. Escape slots/hatches are also built into the rigging to allow smaller undersized lobsters to simply crawl out. Lobsters in captivity often display cannibalism. Smaller immature lobsters are at risk and the escape slots permit them to exit the trap before they become a meal for their larger brethren. To reduce the damage that trapped lobsters can cause each other, traps are usually raised and emptied every 24-hours (weather permitting).