In 2010 the broad-scale introduction of a new gear type, the trigger trap, saw a 260% (33 t in 2009 to 119 t in 2010) increase in octopus landings in the Western Australian Developmental Octopus Fishery (DOF). Deployed in waters previously unfished by the DOF, initial catches demonstrated that trigger traps were more efficient and captured a different component of the population, compared to open-ended shelter pots traditionally used in the fishery. This shift caused a surge of interest in commercial octopus fishing
