Fishing gear lost at sea will be wrangled to shore with help from the University during upcoming derelict crab trap rodeos.
Julie Anderson, renewable natural resources professor and fisheries specialist, said the rodeos are daylong cleanup events during which volunteers remove derelict crab traps from coastal waters. The lost traps pose safety and environmental threats, as well as economic losses for fishermen, she said.
“[Traps] are relatively expensive,” Anderson said. “Most fishermen don’t want to leave their gear out there, but storms, boats passing that cut buoy lines—things like that all result in lost traps.”
Anderson said about 3,000 derelict traps — or enough to fill eight dumpsters — were collected over the course of three rodeos last year. More may be removed this year thanks to Hurricane Isaac and a new database the University’s School of Renewable Natural Resources manages that fishermen use to report lost traps, she said.
“Over 3,000 traps have been reported lost just due to Isaac, and we know that’s from only a handful of fishermen,” Anderson said.
Paula Ouder, editor of Louisiana Sea Grant, said the crab trap rodeos coincide with Sea Grant’s mission to promote sustainable use of the coast and environment. The rodeos also benefit fishery businesses, she said.
“It’s fewer crabs they can bring in, and those traps are known to attract other species like turtles,” Ouder said.
Martin Bourgeois, marine fisheries biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said about 3,000 commercial and 4,000 recreational crab trap fishermen are licensed in Louisiana. A commercial fisherman may have up to 200 traps, he said, meaning there are plenty of traps with the potential of getting lost.
Besides creating bad aesthetics, derelict equipment presents hazards to crabs that wander into lost traps and are never brought to shore, Bourgeois said. They also harm shrimpers when their nets pick up stray traps, he said.
“Getting a trap can cost them a great deal of their catch and the down time it takes to get it out,” Bourgeois said.
Bourgeois said the rodeos are scheduled during the winter when crabs are sluggish because of cooler water temperatures. Also, lower tides make derelict traps more visible and easier to remove, he said.
The cleanup efforts began in 2002 as a project of Wildlife and Fisheries, Anderson said. The volunteer base dwindled within a few years, though, she said.
Anderson received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in 2012 to partner with the state to revitalize the project. With the funds, the cleanups were redesigned as rodeos and made into festive events featuring door prizes and food, she said.
Anderson said the rodeos are the result of a large partnership between the University, Louisiana Sea Grant and Wildlife and Fisheries. Volunteers include University students and faculty as well as members of organizations such as the Coastal Conservation Association, she said.
The first rodeo took place Saturday. Two more are scheduled for Feb. 23 in East Point à la Hache, La., and March 9 in Hopedale, La.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up at www.laseagrant.org/crabtraps.
