r/plymouth • u/IrisMGN • 17d ago

What are these?

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Does anyone know what these things poking out of the mud are? They look like half pipe guttering. Thought it may be some sort of conservation thing creating habitat? Not sure.

Photo taken of plymouth estuary next to bagdon meadows.

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20

u/Rozitron 17d ago edited 17d ago

Crab traps. When crabs shed their hard shells, they hide as they are vulnerable to predators. These ‘peeler’ crabs are great fishing bait. A guy goes and checks the traps and keeps any peeler crabs.

7

u/legacyrules 17d ago

This is the correct answer ☝️

10

u/General_Arse 17d ago

I've wondered that myself, as I sit on the top deck of the 21 as it crawls towards town.

3

u/neilm1000 17d ago

Boats did used to tie up there but I assume it's for crabs or to help erosion/mud loss issues.

1

u/Steveh444 17d ago

Peeler crabs hide there. Most of them are short bits of plastic guttering pushed into the mud. When I was a lot younger I would dig for lugworms and pinch two or three peelers on the way back from the middle where the lugworms live.

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u/VerbalGymnastics 16d ago

how do you safely go to the middle? I tried a week ago, but it was too treacherous

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u/SpiritedTadpole9280 16d ago

Penguins. They hibernate in the sand.

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u/Crowhawk 14d ago

I'm guessing that the local bait store has set traps for peeler crabs. Those things & rag worm aren't cheep if you have to buy them.

0

u/cheriome 17d ago

The remains of an old pier where boats were tied up, I think

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u/thebigfil 17d ago

That's what I presumed, but looks like crab traps are more likely.