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DERELICT CRAB TRAP
REMOVAL PROGRAM
Crab Traps
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The commercial blue crab fishery and industry in Louisiana probably would not survive at present levels without crab traps. Numerous other gears have been used to harvest blue crabs, but none has had the impact of the crab trap. The introduction and widespread adoption of the crab trap had a profound effect on the blue crab commercial fishery by increasing the supply of hard crabs beyond the capacity of local markets to consume them; consequently, the industry was forced to seek new marketing channels. Crab traps were introduced in Louisiana as early as 1948 and were widely
accepted by the mid-1950s. By the mid-1960s, crab traps had become the dominant
gear in the fishery in terms of landings (see graph below). From the late 1970s through the
1990s trap landings contributed 98-99% of total landings. Crab traps had
several advantages over other gears (trotlines or drop nets) used to harvest blue crabs, including
increased catch rates, ability to fish over a wide range of conditions,
mobility, flexibility in work hours, and lower manpower requirements.
Various crab trap terms such as abandoned, derelict, ghost, and serviceable will first be clarified. The expression “abandoned crab trap” was included in the legislation which created the Louisiana derelict crab trap removal program; an abandoned crab trap was defined as a trap remaining in a closure area during the closure period. The Derelict Trap Task Force of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), which was comprised of representatives from all of the Gulf states, defined a derelict crab trap as any trap that was not being actively fished. A derelict trap may thus range from a crushed and barnacle-encrusted old trap without a line and buoy to a fairly new trap with a line and buoy. Thus, using “derelict trap” to refer to all inactive traps outside of a closure area and “abandoned traps” to refer to traps remaining in the closure area is recommended. This clarification is important because not all derelict traps originate from abandonment by trap fishermen. A ghost trap is a derelict trap that is capable of capturing and retaining organisms. A serviceable trap is defined as a trap that has a legal tag, line, buoy, and escape rings, and is capable of harvesting blue crabs. A derelict trap may thus range from a crushed and barnacle-encrusted old trap without a line and buoy to a fairly new trap with a line and buoy.
Derelict traps should be considered a byproduct of the fishery. Derelict traps may originate from several sources and via several mechanisms. Inadvertent loss of actively-fished traps may result from: uncontrollable weather or hydrological factors (i.e., tides, currents, or storm surges); senescence of buoys, lines, or knots; clipping of float lines by vessel propellers; displacement of traps caught in shrimp gear; and, intentional cutting of buoy lines by vandals. Derelict traps may also result from abandonment of fishable traps by fishermen who leave the fishery or from improper disposal of old, unfishable traps. All user groups (commercial and recreational crab fishermen, recreational boaters and fishermen, duck hunters, and recreational and commercial shrimp fishermen) thus contribute to derelict crab traps. Derelict traps are not necessarily illegal. State law [R.S. 56:332(E)] states that "crab traps which are no longer serviceable or in use shall be removed from the water by the owner thereof and properly disposed of or stored by him." As shown in the preceding section, not all derelict traps are discarded or abandoned by trap fishermen. Consequently, derelict traps that have not been abandoned by trap fishermen are not illegal with respect to 56:332(E). A technical review of derelict crab traps can be found in Derelict Crab Traps and Trap Removal Programs authored by the Crab Subcommittee of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and available from the GSMFC web site www.gsmfc.org -- go to Programs, Habitat Program, and then to Derelict Crab Traps. |
