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Derelict Crab Trap Rodeos

Derelict Crab Trap Rodeos

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Information

Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG), working with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and community volunteers, is on a mission to clean coastal waters of derelict crab traps.

Derelict traps are those that have been discarded, lost or abandoned in the environment. Traps can be accidentally lost if they become separated from their buoys by storms or passing boats. Many continue to fish, ensnaring blue crabs and other important aquatic species. Additionally, these wire mesh enclosures pose a potential navigation hazard to boats and can become entangled in other fishing gear like shrimp trawl nets.

In addition to removal, the project includes an educational element designed to reduce the number of traps lost annually and to lessen the impacts of traps in the environment. Data were also collected on the number and types of animals found in the recovered crab traps.

Derelict Crab Trap Closures for 2024

On August 3, 2023, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted a Notice of Intent (NOI) allowing the removal of derelict crab traps along Louisiana’s coast in 2024 from the four following described areas:

    1. The first closure will occur in the Pontchartrain Basin, between southern Lake Borgne and the eastern portion of the Biloxi Marsh, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2024.
    2. The second closure will occur in the Barataria Basin, south of Empire and Venice, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2023.
    3. The third closure will occur in the Terrebonne Basin, between the Houma Navigational Canal and Bayou du Large, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2024.
    4. The fourth closure will occur in the Vermilion-Teche Basin, in an area from the Acadiana Navigational Channel and the western shore of Vermilion Bay, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2024.
    5. The fifth closure will occur in the Mermentau Basin, in the Mermentau River south of Catfish Locks, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2024.
    6. The sixth closure will occur in the Pontchartrain Basin, in Lake Maurepas, from 12 a.m. February 26, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. March 6, 2024.

* visit LDWF for full closure details