Every trap has one or more funnel- shaped openings fashioned from twine, which allow the lobster to enter the trap but prevent it from escaping. They are baited with either fresh or salted fish, commonly herring, mackerel or gaspereau. Traps are set in waters of varying depths, but usually near a rocky bottom, which lobsters prefer. In recent years, fishermen have begun to make greater use of electronic equipment to determine water depth and bottom type. Traps are ballasted with flat stones or concrete slabs to sink them and reduce their movement on the ocean floor.
Marked buoys allow the gear to be easily located and identified.
The traps are hauled up on the boats using winches. Smaller, illegal sized lobsters are returned to the water along with any unwanted species. The harvested lobsters are kept alive in boxes or tanks containing circulating water. Crab traps are framed with iron rods and are covered with polyethylene rope webbing, and may be either cone-shaped or rectangular. They are much more expensive than lobster traps because of the material used, and are somewhat larger.