Volunteers
Needed for 2006 Derelict Crab Trap Clean Up
Posted:
2/13/06
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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