Crabs are perhaps one of the most expensive seafood on our dinner table. In fact, crabs fall under the likes of lobster insofar as costs are concerned.
Crabs, sea specie falling under the category of Crustaceans, are considered sumptuous, in whatever and however it is prepared on the buffet table.

But while many would be feasting on it, most would be wondering how easy or difficult it is to catch these Crustaceans, which are considered rare catch on shallow bodies of water. These crustaceans are so scarce that studies claim that the population of the crabs is pegged at a low 20 percent of the entire marine Crustaceans (excluding plants and corals), caught or farmed worldwide.

The conventional net, which is being used by typical fishermen, would not be strong enough to keep them long until the entire ?fisherman?s blanket? is pulled out of the waters.

In lieu of nets, fishermen use what is commonly called as ?crab pots?.
Crab pots are fishing gears designed to trap — what else, but crabs. But what is a crab pot? Crab pot is a fishing gear shaped like a box, made of welded wires and designed with four trap doors just big enough for crabs to walk into. The trap doors allow crabs to enter as it pushes its way in, closer to the bait. It however, does not open outwards.

The size of crab pots vary. For small crab catchers or those hobbyists or people which take the craft of catching crabs as a sport of sorts, the device could be something like two feet on all sides and a similar two feet for the base and altitude. It is made of welded wires, strong enough against the crabs. It has four openings — all made into trap doors, on each side of the device. It weighs around 15 pounds.

For commercial crab catchers, it could be bigger and heavier as the device is designed to accommodate as many crabs as they could. These devices are usually brought up to the surface twice a day. crab pots are dropped in marked part of the ocean (as for commercial crab catchers) or deep portions of a freshwater basin or river (for crab catching sports hobbyists).

Inside these crab pots are baits, which could either be fish parts, chicken necks, eel or bull lips, as what Maryland crab catchers do, although crabs are known to be omnivores or species that eat both meat and plant.

Just like fishing, crab catching could as well be considered a rapidly gaining popularity as the hobby has grown ?phenomenal? to an extent that commercial crab haulers would somehow feel what appears to be minimal effect on their industry.
In fact, tropical regions around the world have started gathering and mobilizing groups of hobbyists engaged in what could as well be considered as the ?fine art of catching crabs — with really trying to?.