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Ghost Traps We call these abandoned traps GHOST traps since no fisherman is actually using them. Unfortunately, for months or even years, such traps continue to catch crabs, fish, and even rare turtles called diamondback terrapins. A critter that gets caught in the trap can't escape. It dies. Then other organisms come to feed on it and also get trapped. It's a tremendous waste of the seafood resource. Abandoned traps also posed a navigation hazard to sports fishermen. It was a big problem in crane habitat. But then a good new rule made a difference.