Lobsterman's gloves on a metal lobster trap, known as a "pot." My grandfather used to spend a lot of time building his own pots out of wood and crocheting entrance funnels for them. That was the old days. Today, wooden pots have been replaced by ones made of coated steel. Traditional bait for the traps is decaying fish. These steel traps are a lot more durable and longer lasting than the wood ones. However, if they get lost in a storm, they will continue to catch fish and lobsters in a long, ongoing cycle. However, if the wooden ones got lost, they would break up or decay in a short time, conserving the wild lobster supply.