The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) announced on Sept. 21 that it’s awarding $1.2 million to 11 projects along the East and West coasts to clean up derelict fishing traps. About $225,000 will go to two projects in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Abandoned fishing gear, including crab traps, can damage habitat, create navigational hazards and catch marine life that won’t be harvested.
That’s what the nationwide Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention (TRAP) program tries to fix. TRAP not only removes the gear but also collects data and supports coastal economies to create long-term prevention efforts.
VIMS began leading the nationwide program in 2023 after receiving an award from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration to scale up the Virginia institute’s cleanup efforts. VIMS, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and local watermen removed 34,000 derelict crab pots — known as “ghost traps” — between 2008 and 2014.
The new funding went to seven coastal states. Two groups in Maryland received support to remove crab traps from the Chesapeake Bay:
- The Oyster Recovery Partnership received about $99,000 to work with local watermen to remove derelict blue crab traps from Herring Bay.
- Rauch Inc. received $126,000 to recruit commercial watermen to recover derelict crab traps around Eastern Bay and Tilghman Island for reuse.
