Lobster Traps
One of the most familiar sights on the South Shore of Nova Scotia is a lobster trap in someone’s back yard (at White Point Manor we have 8 of them!). It could be the focal point of a flower garden or propped up against a mailbox but nothing denotes the spirit of the Atlantic Ocean like the collection of wooden strips and netted holes that once caught the most popular crustacean in the world.
Traditional traps are made of curved pieces of wood, wood laths, and nylon twine. Newer traps are more rectangular and some are made of heavy wire mesh. Every trap has one or more funnel-shape openings fashioned from twine, which allow the lobster to enter the trap but prevent it from escaping. Traps are also fitted with circular or rectangular escape mechanisms designed to allow small lobster to escape. They are baited with either fresh or salted fish, commonly herring, mackerel or gaspereau.
Another site you’ll see that might make you take a second look is a minivan heading back to Ontario with a big lobster pot on its roof!
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