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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 2025

On August 1, 2024, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted a Notice of Intent (NOI) allowing the removal of derelict crab traps along Louisiana’s coast from the five following described areas in 2025:

    1. The first closure will occur in the Pontchartrain Basin, west of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2025.
    2. The second closure will occur in the Vermilion-Teche Basin, all waters north of Marsh Island, from 12 a.m. February 1, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. February 14, 2025.
    3. The third closure will occur in the Barataria Basin, south of Lafitte, from 12 a.m. February 8, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. February 21, 2025.
    4. The fourth closure will occur in the Terrebonne Basin, between Dulac and Cocodrie, extending to the shrimp inside-outside line, from 12 a.m. February 15, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. February 28, 2025.
    5. The fifth closure will occur in the Calcasieu Basin, the northern half of Calcasieu Lake, from 12 a.m. February 17, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. February 26, 2025.

* visit LDWF for full closure details