The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has announced the dates and area for the 7th Annual Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program for 2010.
A ten-day winter trap closure in portions of the Barataria Bay estuary will take place from 6 a.m., Feb. 27, 2010 through 6 a.m., March 8, 2010 within that portion of Lafourche, Jefferson, and Plaquemines parishes as described below:
From a point originating from the intersection of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the northern shoreline of Hero Canal; thence due north to a point along the northern shoreline of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; thence southward and then westward along the northern shoreline of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to a point opposite the western shoreline of Bayou Perot; thence due south to the western shoreline of Bayou Perot; thence southward along the western shoreline of Bayou Perot to Little Lake; thence southward along the western shoreline of Little Lake to 29 degrees, 30 minutes, 00 seconds north latitude; thence eastward along 29 degrees, 30 minutes, 00 seconds north latitude to the eastern shoreline of Wilkinson Canal; thence northward along the eastern shoreline of Wilkinson Canal to its termination; thence due north to the western shore of the Mississippi River; thence northwestward along the western shore of the Mississippi River to a point due east of the northern shoreline of Hero Canal; thence due west to the northern shoreline of Hero Canal; thence westward along the northern shoreline of Hero Canal and terminating at its intersection with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
All crab traps remaining in the closed area during the specified period will be considered abandoned. Trap removal regulations do not provide authorization for access to private property; authorization to access private property can only be provided by individual landowners.
Crab traps may be removed only between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Anyone may remove these abandoned crab traps from within the closed area. No person removing crab traps from the designated closed area may possess these traps outside of the closed areas. Abandoned traps must be brought to the designated disposal site located at Sea-Way Marina in Lafitte.
Since 2004, LDWF together with individual volunteers and volunteer organizations has successfully removed and disposed of 17,972 abandoned and derelict crabs. A diverse group of volunteers participated including commercial crab fishermen, recreational fishermen, concerned individuals, and representatives of conservation and environmental organizations, state and federal agencies and universities.
The abandoned crab trap removal program is viewed as a positive approach to removing derelict crab traps from coastal waters. Funding for the 2010 crab trap clean up comes from increases in recreational and commercial crab trap gear license fees statutorily dedicated to support the abandoned crab trap removal program.
LDWF will be coordinating the abandoned crab trap removal efforts, but the program will be volunteer-based. The abandoned crab trap removal program’s success relies heavily on volunteer participation and any volunteers or organizations interested in participating in crab trap clean-ups are encouraged to contact Jason Adriance at 504-284-2032 or jadriance@wlf.la.gov.
The designated volunteer day will be on Saturday, Feb. 27 for the Barataria Bay clean up. However, traps may be retrieved at other times during the closure period. More information about volunteer participation will be provided at a later date.
A map of the closure area is posted at the following link to the LDWF Web site at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/?id=1685
