NEWSROOM
Volunteers
Needed for 2006 Derelict Crab Trap Clean Up
February 13, 2006
Final approval
has been granted for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries (LDWF) 2006 derelict crab trap removal program. This
program is viewed as a positive approach to removing derelict
crab traps from coastal water and has been very successful in
regard to the total number of retrieved traps, volunteer participation
and acceptance by all user groups.
One trap clean
up is planned from 6:00 a.m., March 4, 2006 through 6:00 a.m.
March 13, 2006 in a portion of the Terrebonne Bay estuary as described
below:
from a point
originating from the intersection of the eastern shoreline of
Bayou Dularge and the northern shoreline of Falgout Canal; thence
westward along the northern shoreline of Falgout Canal to Lake
Decade; thence westward and then southward along the northern
and western shoreline of Lake Decade to the mouth of Bayou Decade;
thence southwesterly along the northern shoreline of Bayou Decade
to Lost Lake; thence westward along the northern shoreline of
Lost Lake to the mouth of an unnamed bayou originating from
Big Carencro Bayou; thence northward along the eastern shoreline
of the unnamed bayou to Big Carencro Bayou; thence northward
and then westward along the northern shoreline of Big Carencro
Bayou to the eastern shoreline of Four League Bay; thence southwesterly
to the northern most point of land on Pointe Au Fer Island at
Mosquito Pass; thence southward along the eastern shoreline
of Pointe Au Fer Island to the mouth of Oyster Bayou; thence
southward along the western shoreline of Oyster Bayou to a point
along the inside-outside shrimp line as defined in R.S. 56:495;
thence eastward along the inside-outside shrimp line to the
eastern shoreline of Bayou Grand Caillou; thence northward to
the first red channel marker (No. 10) in Bayou Grand Caillou;
thence northward along the red channel markers in Bayou Grand
Caillou to channel marker No. 40; thence due eastward to the
eastern shoreline of Bayou Grand Caillou; thence northward along
the eastern shoreline of Bayou Grand Caillou to the Tennessee
Gas Pipeline canal; thence westward along the northern shoreline
of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline canal to Bayou Dularge; thence
northward along the eastern shoreline of Bayou Dularge and terminating
at the intersection of Falgout Canal and Bayou Dularge.
All crab
traps remaining in the closure area during the closure period
will be considered abandoned and may be collected by anyone. There
are, however, several restrictions that pertain to collection
of these derelict crab traps. First, crab traps may be removed
only between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after
sunset. Second, these abandoned crab traps may not be possessed
outside of the closure area and must be brought to sites designated
by the Secretary of the LDWF. These trap removal regulations do
not provide authorization for public access to private property;
authorization to access private property can only be provided
by individual landowners.
Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary, Dwight
Landreneau, announced designated disposal sites as:
- Falgout
Canal Marina on LA Hwy. 315 in Theriot.
- Dularge
near the end of LA Hwy. 315 just below the protection levee
and floodgate.
The LDWF
will be coordinating the abandoned crab trap removal efforts,
but the program is volunteer-based and cannot succeed without
continued public assistance. It provides an excellent opportunity
for everyone who enjoys our coastal waters to work together and
to help make a difference. All water-based user groups, including
recreational anglers, boaters, waterfowl hunters, and commercial
and recreational shrimp and crab fishermen, are encouraged to
participate in the trap cleanup. Several types of boats are needed:
small shallow-draft boats and air boats to retrieve traps, and
larger mother vessels (such as commercial crab boats) to collect
traps from smaller boats.
Several primary
volunteer days will be emphasized. These volunteer days will be
on March 4 and March 11, the first two Saturdays of the closure
period. Traps, however, may be retrieved at other times during
the closure period.
LDWF personnel
will be present at each disposal site on the designated volunteer
days beginning at 7:30 a.m. and remaining until approximately
4:00 p.m. to distribute instructions, maps, and supplies (tarps,
grappling hooks, garbage bags, and gloves) to the volunteers and
to assist with the unloading of derelict traps. First aid kits
will be available if needed.
The Barataria-Terrebonne
National Estuary Program is helping fund the 2006 abandoned crab
trap clean up, and will also provide souvenir caps to all volunteers.
State funds are also available from dedicated revenues generated
from crab trap license fee increases supported by the Louisiana
Crab Task Force.
In 2004 and
2005, six crab trap cleanups were held and more than 11,500 derelict
crab traps and over 130 volunteer boat crews participated. This
program has been endorsed by the Louisiana Crab Task Force, Louisiana
Sea Grant, and Cooperative Extension Service and by conservation
organizations such as the Barataria - Terrebonne National Estuary
Program, Coastal Conservation Association, and Louisiana Wildlife
Federation. A diverse group of volunteers have participated, including
commercial crab fishermen, recreational fishermen, concerned individuals,
and representatives of conservation and environmental organizations,
state and federal agencies, and universities.
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