Fish traps in Sweden may be world's oldest

Swedish archaeologists say 9,000-year-old wooden fish traps found in the Baltic Sea off Sweden could be the oldest such traps in existence. Marine archaeologists from Sodertorn University in Stockholm say they think finger-thick hazel rods found grouped on the sea bed are the remains of stationary basket fish traps, the BBC reported Wednesday. The remains of seven such basket traps were found in a submerged ancient river valley off Sweden's southern coast at a depth of as much as 40 feet. The sticks appear to have been intended as a "sort of fence to lead the fish into a creel or they were part of the actual creel," archaeologist Arne Sjostrom said. A carbon dating of one of the baskets showed it to be 9,000 years old. "This is the world's oldest find when it comes to fishing," said Johan Ronnby, Sodertorn professor of marine archaeology.