Covos

Traps designed to catch fish or crustaceans in the shallower waters of the Madeiran sea. The different forms currently used can be reduced to four main types: the salmon trap, the moray eel trap, the shrimp trap, and the mujona for fish and lobsters. The first is made of reed and has a polyhedral shape, and it is common to introduce shiny white ceramic fragments to easily deceive and attract the salmon. The second is cylindrical and constructed with wooden slats, with openings at both ends, and it indiscriminately catches the four species of moray eels found along the Madeiran coast. The shrimp trap, which is launched further from the coast than any of the others, is made of reed and is roughly conical, with the larger base serving as the entrance for the crustaceans. Finally, there is the mujona, introduced in Porto Santo under that name by Algarve fishermen who established a tuna fishery on the island in 1910. This trap is used for coastal fish and lobsters, and it is constructed of iron or reed and has the shape of a semi-sphere.