Mantis Shrimp

[NicCrab]

Is there a way to catch mantis shrimp in NJ? Caught one incidentally in my topless trap recently and steamed with the crabs. Delicious! Like lobster.
I've seen reports of them in striper stomachs & flounder spitting them up so they must exist in decent numbers around NJ.

[Hawkeye]

they are nocturnal usually - so it's not common hear about them being caught in anything, let alone a top less trap.  

how big was the one you caught?  squilla empusa max length is about 9" or 25cm per this site:
https://barnegatbaypartnership.org/species/mantis-shrimp/

There is a mantis shrimp from the pacific that goes for $100~$200 a pop.  Odontodactylus scyllarus aka Peacock Mantis Shrimp.  People post up videos on youtube showing them being fed small fiddler crabs or snails and such.  Unlike a crab that has pincers, this mantis has hammers instead of claws and literally beats the poor crab to death.