How do basket fish traps prevent fish from escaping?

Basket fish traps prevent fish from escaping by utilizing structural designs that make egress significantly more difficult than ingress. These traps typically function as chambers that fish enter easily, but from which they are prevented from leaving through the use of labyrinths or retarding devices, such as funnels or baffles.12

In the context of basketry, these traps are often constructed using openwork, a technique that allows for the maintenance of rigid standards with even spacing. By guiding the fish into an enclosure, the design ensures that once the prey has entered, the physical arrangement of the basketry prevents them from finding their way back out.342