Muskrat

Muskrat

Ondatra zibethica

Size: to 14" (body)

Habitat: in and around water

Notes:
Muskrats sometimes build a water "house", like a beaver, although they don't build dams. Common anywhere there is suitable watery habitat.

Muskrat
Muskrat
Orange teeth?

fish trap
A fixed fish trap. The curtain nets stretch from surface to bottom, and the fish are funneled into holding areas.

Fish traps are only practical in shallow water. They have the advantage of keeping both the targeted catch and the bycatch alive ( unless a shark gets in ! ) You can still see a few fish traps in use in Raritan Bay, where they are built around fixed pilings rather than buoys and anchors as shown here. In years past, shore-based trawling or "haul seining" was also practiced in the bay, where a net would be deployed off the beach by a small boat, and drawn in by donkeys or trucks.

Printed from njscuba.net