Fishermen remove ghost traps to save Chesapeake wildlife
Local watermen in the Chesapeake Bay are removing thousands of abandoned fishing traps to protect trapped marine animals from harm.
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science recovered over twenty-four thousand traps weighing six hundred thousand pounds during the last two years. This massive cleanup effort supported more than one hundred thirty-five jobs while documenting nearly thirty-six thousand trapped creatures.
New funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars to help remove dangerous gear. The Chesapeake Bay stretches two hundred miles and produces one-third of the nations total blue crab supply.
Environmental reporter Lauren Hines-Acosta explained that lost crab pots allow critters to get trapped inside and die without escape. These derelict traps also disrupt habitats and create navigational hazards for boats traveling through the busy bay waters.
Two companies will work with local watermen to identify and remove specific crab pots from two sections of the water. These partners know the traps best because they spend more time on the water searching for hidden debris. The projects center on retrieval from the Herring Bay and the Eastern Bay areas.