Fish Trap
Archaeologists studying aerial photographs of the coast have discovered a large 'V'-shaped fish trap in the sea off the Poppit coast. Some 280 yards long, and comprising a wall 3 feet wide, it now lies totally submerged (under some 12 feet of water), even at low tide. Estimated to be some 1000 years old, in those days it would have appeared at low tide, acting as a shallow rock pool, trapping fish behind the walls as the tide flowed out. At that time the sea level was lower and the entrance to the Teifi Estuary lay further towards the Poppit side. Additionally, at its north-westerly point is a gap where fisherman would have placed nets to catch fish as the tide receded. It is believed to be one of the biggest fish-traps of its kind, but the structure’s orientation is such that it precludes the possibility that it was designed to catch migratory fish, such as salmon and sea trout, going up the river Teifi.
The shape of the fish trap has been discernible on Google Earth since 2006.
Further research into the fish-trap, the rocks of which are now covered in worms, algae and sea anemones, and only protrude by some 30 cm above the sea-bed, is currently being undertaken by Pembrokeshire College and the Dyfed Archaeological Trust.
Read more about this topic: Poppit Sands
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