Catches of lost fish traps (ghost fishing) from fishing grounds near Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

A field study was undertaken to quantify the catch rate of simulated lost fish traps at five traditional fishing grounds near Muscat and Mutrah, Sultanate of Oman. Twenty-five traps were set at depths between 16 and 36 m during the period late November 2000 to mid-July 2001. Ghost fishing mortality was estimated at 1.34 kg/trap per day, decreasing over time. An exponential model, to estimate trap ghost fishing mortality, predicted a mortality rate of 67.27 and 78.36 kg/trap during 3 and 6 months respectively, with trapped fish having a value of 55.565 RO/trap (∼US$145) and 64.725 RO/trap (∼US$168) respectively. ¹ To reduce the negative impacts of ghost trap fishing here and elsewhere, it is recommended that future traps be better marked, equipped with timed-release or degradable sections or panels, and that openings be included in the traps to release undersized animals.