“Trap fishing has a lot of benefits: great catch quality, fish-welfare, minimal impact on habitats, plus bycatch can be released alive.” Petri says. “But it’s highly seasonal. We want to see what comes in, when, how — and what might swim back out again.”
Understanding Fish Behaviour to Improve Trap Fishing
The goal is simple: to understand how European perch behave around fishing traps and, in doing so, improve trap fishing and extend the season into summer and autumn.
That’s exactly what Finnish fisheries scientist Petri Suuronen is working on this year, using CatchCam and SeaSensor systems to monitor fish behaviour in the fresh water lakes and brackish coastal waters of Finland.
Petri has deployed a series of wire-traps to monitor how fish interact with different designs. While European perch is the target species, he’s also keeping an eye on pike, roach, and other commercially important species.
A Collaboration Built on Curiosity
This project brings together CatchCam Technologies and the International Seafood Consulting Group (ISCG). It’s a hands-on collaboration between fisheries science and practical fishing know-how, and it’s already generating ideas for making trap fishing more efficient, profitable, and sustainable.
“It’s a great example of how technology and ideology come together to make a positive impact for small-scale fishers”.
Trap gear is increasingly seen as a viable alternative to other fishing methods. It’s selective, low-impact, and delivers top-quality fish. But despite the benefits, it’s still underused.
In Finland, ISCG’s focus is on improving wire-trap performance during summer and autumn. The goal is to understand what attracts perch to enter traps in warmer months, and what might cause them to swim away.
How Camera Technology is Helping
To capture fish behaviour in and around the traps, Petri is using CatchCam, a robust underwater camera system designed for long-term gear deployments. Unlike traditional BRUV systems that only record for a few hours, CatchCam can run for 48 hours, making it ideal for full-day monitoring in both freshwater and marine environments.
“These small, handy cameras can record for up to 48 hours if necessary,” says Petri. “We want to see what happens outside and inside the trap during the capture process.”
Our team has already made some interesting observations: a pike sneaking back out of a trap after eating a perch inside. Somehow it squeezed through a narrow trap opening, belly full, and swam away. A reminder that gear design matters and that predators play a bigger role than we might expect.
“We’ve never had the chance to see this before. Now we can start learning what works, and where changes might help.” says Tom.
What's Next?
If we can understand fish behaviour, we can improve gear, reduce losses, and fish more efficiently – even outside of the traditional peak season in spring.
“Trap fishing has huge potential,” Petri says. “But right now, it’s highly seasonal, and often inefficient. We’re trying to change that.”
Filming will continue through summer and into autumn. The team is testing different trap types, baits, and locations — all with the aim of making perch fishing more reliable without compromising sustainability.
“We know nothing about what happens inside fishing gear,” says Petri. “If you want to improve fishing gear, first you need to know what’s going on. And that’s what this is about.”
Whether you’re a commercial fisher, gear designer or fisheries scientist, we can help you gain new insights from your gear.
