'Ghost' traps, long lost, keep catching lobsters

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Thousands, perhaps millions, of old wire lobster 'ghost traps' live beneath the cold ocean waters off the coast of Maine.

The traps have been lost over the years to storms, boats and even the knives of fishermen who've cut them from their buoys to settle scores. Yet many of the traps continue catching lobsters.

Marine biologists say lost and abandoned lobster, crab and other fish traps plague coastal waters around the globe, putting pressure on a number of already-stressed fish populations. In U.S. waters alone, millions of dollars' worth of marketable seafood is lost each year.

Lobstermen this winter will grapple up gear from selected spots in the first large-scale study of ghost traps along the Maine coast. Nationwide, other studies are focusing on lost traps off the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts.