HOUMA (AP) — Scientists are asking crabbers to report lost traps to guide future cleanups.

Julie Anderson is an assistant professor and fisheries specialist with Louisiana Sea Grant and the LSU AgCenter. She tells The Courier that more than 1,400 traps lost in Hurricane Isaac have been reported to the database.

Crab traps can be lost when the ropes connecting floats to the cage are severed by storms, accidental catch in other gear, vandalism or the propellers of other boats.

Fish and blue crabs still swim into the traps, which also pose a hazard to boaters and can damage fishing nets.