This fish trap complex consists of a palimpsest of 'V' shaped traps located either side of the low water line, located using historic Admiralty charts and historic areial photographic coverage. Rows of 'V' shapes often follow the same line and appear to be joined together to form zig-zags. These 'V' and zig-zag shapes are often overlain with additional 'V's and zig-zags, which appear to represent different phases of use. The archaeological remains represent two types of fish trap. The arms of earlier traps consist of low stone walls, approximately 1-2m width. Their inner faces were set with roundwood posts, approximately 50cm height and 20cm width. Wooden posts continue beyond the walls to form a gradually narrowing snout running for a further 20m or so. These posts supported wattle fences. The apex of the `V `,would have held a closely woven conical basket with its entrance facing the shoreward. Later traps comprised stake-nets consisting of wooden posts with nets tied to them. Posts were approximately 6ft height and set about 10-12m apart. Nets are described as being constructed of 1 inch bar mesh, some 300yds length and 7ft height. At the apex of each 'V' was a sluice containing a circular roofed cage reported to measure about 12yds circumference.

Event and Historical Information:
Fish traps in Swansea Bay were first recorded in 1650 during a survey of the manor of Oystermouth. These earlier stone and wattle fish traps were superseded by stake nets in the late 19th century, which were laid out in similar patterns. Theses later nets allowed smaller fish to escape, and local by-laws require the cage to be in such a position that a pool is left at low water. Stake nets were mainly used on mud flats with a relatively wide tidal range, and until the mid-20th century Swansea bay was renowned for stake-netting. At this time the area between Swansea Bay and mumbles Head was known as the location of the largest stake-nets found in the county, refered to locally as `stop nets? or `kettle nets?. Earlier fish traps, consisting of stone walls and small wooden posts, were in use until late 19th century.
A rental map thought to date to around 1914 illustrates 13 sites. Use of stake nets persisted until late 1930s.The fish traps were identified by GGAT during their 1998 Swansea Bay intertidal survey.

Sources include:
Jenkins, G, 2009, The Inshore Fishermen of Wales, pg117, pg122-23
Turner, R, 2002, 'Fish weirs and fish traps' in Davidson, A, The Coastal Archaeology of Wales, pg101

Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, January 2011.