Features

• Once inside the cage, the king crab cannot get out.dungeness crab image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  Wire king crab cages are divided into two inner chambers. The bottom chamber has funnel-shaped entrances. The crab can enter, but cannot get out. The crab smells the bait, crawls inside and is trapped. When the crab tries to get out, it enters another funnel-shaped opening that leads to the upper chamber. Once inside this section, it cannot escape.
  
  

Types

• When the rope on a crab net is pulled, the crabs are trapped.round crab nets image by Christopher Nolan from Fotolia.com
  
  There are two other types of king crab traps: ring nets and star traps. Ring nets are made of two rings connected by heavy mesh. A rope is attached to the top ring. When the trap is pulled up, the net is pulled tight around the crabs. Star traps have four triangle-shaped sides. When the rope attached to the sides is pulled, they fold together to trap the crab.
  
  

Considerations

• Commercial fishermen use heavy-duty king crab cages. Weighing up to 800 pounds when empty, these crab traps can weigh a ton or more when full. A hoist and pulleys are required to reel them in.