Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory to organize coastal cleanup of derelict crab pots.
Tired of dodging old crab traps when you venture onto coastal waters? Then you can help remove these obstacles during Mississippi’s Derelict Crab Trap Roundup scheduled for Feb. 21-23.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory is organizing the volunteer cleanup effort.Anyone interested in volunteering to help can sign up on the MDMR Web site at or by calling the MDMR Shrimp and Crab Bureau at 228-374-5000.
Refreshments will be provided to volunteers, and prizes will be awarded for each site for the most traps turned in.
The MDMR noted that it is important that you sign up before hauling out traps, as it is illegal to remove crab traps not licensed to you unless you are a registered volunteer during the cleanup dates.
The effort begins with a crab trap gear closure in all state marine waters beginning at 6 a.m. on Feb. 14 and ending at 6 a.m. on Feb. 24 during which crab fishermen must remove their own traps from state marine waters.
Any crab traps found in state waters between Feb. 21 and Feb. 23 will be considered derelict and subject to removal by registered volunteers.
Traps will be accepted on Feb. 23 at Pascagoula Point, Ocean Springs Harbor and Bayou Caddy-Boat Ramp between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Recovered traps will be taken to a recycling facility by Sims Metal Management.
The MDMR began the derelict crab trap program in 1999 working together with the GCRL. Since the program’s inception 18,378 traps have been removed from Mississippi waters and recycled.
A Mississippi Tidelands Trust grant currently funds the work.
On Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. two training sessions will be held for volunteers to learn trap clean up basics and receive supplies at the Bolton State Building in Biloxi.
Feb. 24 at 6 a.m. all active traps may be placed back into legal waters.
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