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Crab Trap Removal Program Proposed For 2005
Posted: 9/3/04

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission plans to continue the abandoned crab trap removal program in 2005. It seeks public comment on proposals for three winter trap closures (Sabine Lake, Terrebonne Bay estuary, and Breton Sound estuary) and one spring closure (Vermilion Bay/West Cote Blanche Bay) in 2005.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, and the Louisiana Crab Task Force were all involved in the process of developing an abandoned crab trap removal program. Act 48, overwhelmingly approved by the 2003 Louisiana Legislature, authorized the commission to develop an abandoned crab trap removal program. This legislation was patterned after similar legislation in other Gulf coastal states. In 2004, the first trap closures and clean ups took place in upper Terrebonne Bay and Vermilion Bay.

Proposed Plans for 2005

• In Sabine Lake, the commission plans to prohibit the use of crab traps for a 10-day period from 6:00 a.m., February 18, 2005 through 6:00 a.m. February 27, 2005 within a portion of Cameron Parish from a point originating at the intersection of the southern side of LA Highway 82 and the eastern shore of Sabine Lake, thence north along the eastern shoreline of Sabine Lake to its intersection with East Pass, thence due north to Sabine Island, thence west along the southern shoreline of Sabine Island to its westward most point, thence due west to the Texas state line, thence south along the Louisiana / Texas state line to its intersection with LA Highway 82, thence east along the southern side of LA Highway 82 and terminating at its intersection with the eastern shore of Sabine Lake.
• In the Terrebonne Bay estuary closure, the commission plans to prohibit the use of crab traps for a 16-day period from 6:00 a.m., March 5, 2005 through 6:00 a.m. March 20, 2005 within that portion of Terrebonne Parish from a point originating from the intersection of LA Highway 57 and Dulac Canal, thence east along LA Highway 57 to its intersection with LA 56, thence due east to the western shoreline of Bayou Little Caillou, thence north along the western shoreline of Bayou Little Caillou to its intersection with Lapeyrouse Canal, thence east along the northern shoreline of Lapeyrouse Canal to its intersection with Bayou Terrebonne, thence south along the eastern shoreline of Bayou Terrebonne to its intersection with Seabreeze Pass, thence southwest to channel marker number 17 of the Houma Navigation Canal (Lat. 29 degrees 11 minutes 11.3 seconds N., Long. 90 degrees 36 minutes 44.5 seconds W.), thence southwest to the northern most point on Pass la Poule Island (Lat. 29 degrees 08 minutes 33.5 seconds N., Long. 90 degrees 39 minutes 01.3 seconds W.), thence west to Bayou Sale channel marker (Lat. 29 degrees 06 minutes 31.8 seconds N., Long. 90 degrees 44 minutes 34.2 seconds W.), thence north to the western shoreline of Bayou Sale, thence north along the western shoreline of Bayou Sale to its intersection with Four Point Bayou, thence north along the western shoreline of Four Point Bayou to its intersection with the Houma Navigation Canal, thence north along the western shoreline of the Houma Navigation Canal to its intersection with Bayou Grand Caillou, thence north along the western shoreline of Bayou Grand Caillou to its intersection with Dulac Canal, thence east along the northern shoreline of Dulac Canal and terminating at its intersection with LA Highway 57.
• In the Breton Sound estuary closure, the commission intends to prohibit the use of crab traps for a 16-day period from 6:00 a.m., February 26, 2005 through 6:00 a.m. March 13, 2005 within that portion of St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes from a point originating from the intersection of LA Highway 39 and LA Highway 46, thence east along LA Highway 46 to its intersection with LA Highway 300, thence east and then south along LA Highway 300 to its termination, thence due south to Bayou Terre aux Bouefs, thence east along the northern shoreline of Bayou Terre aux Bouefs to its intersection with the "twin pipeline", thence south along the eastern edge of the "twin pipeline" to the eastern shoreline of the Mississippi River, thence north along the eastern shoreline of the Mississippi River to a point due west of the intersection of LA Highway 39 and LA Highway 46, thence due east and terminating at the intersection of LA Highway 39 and LA Highway 46.
• In the Vermilion Bay spring closure, the commission intends to prohibit the use of crab traps for a 9-day period beginning at 6:00 a.m. on the opening of the 2005 Spring inshore shrimp season in Vermilion Bay / West Cote Blanche Bay and ending at 6:00 a.m. nine days following the opening of the 2005 spring inshore shrimp season in Vermilion Bay / West Cote Blanche Bay within a portion of Iberia, and St. Mary parishes From a point originating from the intersection of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Acadiana Navigational Channel, thence southwest along the Acadiana Navigational Channel red buoy line to the red navigational marker number 12 on the Marsh Island shoreline near Southwest Pass, thence east along the shoreline of Marsh Island to Longitude 91 degrees 43 minutes 00 seconds W, thence north along Longitude 91 degrees 43 minutes 00 seconds W to the shoreline of West Cote Blanche Bay, thence west along the northern shoreline of West Cote Blanche Bay to its intersection with the Ivanhoe Canal, thence north along the eastern shoreline of the Ivanhoe Canal to its intersection with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, thence west along the northern shoreline of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and terminating at the Acadiana Navigational Channel.

All crab traps remaining in the closed areas during the specified periods will be considered abandoned. These proposed trap removal regulations do not provide authorization for access to private property; only individual landowners can provide authorization to access private property.

For the winter closures only, crab traps may be removed only between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Anyone may be authorized to remove these abandoned crab traps from within the closed areas. No person removing crab traps from the designated closed areas may possess these traps outside of the closed areas. Abandoned traps must be brought to sites designated by the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. However, nonserviceable crab traps may be possessed by shrimp fishermen outside of the closed area when in compliance with R.S.
56:332.

LDWF will coordinate the abandoned crab trap removal efforts, but the program is volunteer-based. The department will be soliciting assistance for the proposed trap sweeps.

Interested persons may submit written comments relative to this proposed rule to Vince Guillory, Marine Fisheries Biologist Supervisor, Marine Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 189, Bourg, LA 70343, prior to Friday, November 5, 2004.

For more information contact Vince Guillory at (985) 594-4139 or vguillory@wlf.louisiana.gov.

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