[StBernard] State seeks volunteers for Plaquemines, St. Bernard crab-trap removal

[Westley Annis]

State seeks volunteers for Plaquemines, St. Bernard crab-trap removal
 By Todd Masson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on February 14, 2013 at 3:36 PM, updated February 14, 2013 at 6:07 PM Print

Several state and volunteer organizations will host Derelict Crab Trap
Clean-ups in portions of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes over the next
two months.

The Plaquemines Parish clean-up will begin Feb. 16 at 6 a.m. and end Feb. 25
at 6 a.m. Volunteer clean-up days will be held on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 at
Beshel's Marina in Pointe a La Hache.

The St. Bernard Parish clean-up will begin March 9 at 6 a.m. and end March
18 at 6 a.m. A volunteer clean-up day will be hosted on March 9 at Breton
Sound Marina in Hopedale.

Derelict traps may be collected anytime during the cleanup period.
Representatives with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries and
Louisiana Sea Grant will be available at each disposal site on the volunteer
days beginning at 8:30 a.m. to distribute instructions, maps and supplies to
volunteers, assist with the unloading of derelict traps and document the
number of traps removed.

In order to conduct the trap clean-ups, crab fishermen must remove their
crab traps from within the closure area during the closure period, and all
remaining crab traps will be considered abandoned and may be removed by
agency personnel or volunteers.

Volunteers are needed to assist with dockside activities such as unloading,
smashing and stacking traps as boats arrive; however, Wildlife &Fisheries
says the greatest need is for boat owners to assist with trap retrieval.
Volunteers willing to participate in the trap clean-ups are encouraged to
pre-register with Louisiana Sea Grant.

Volunteers collecting crab traps are asked to place the traps and buoys at
the predetermined disposal sites.

Since the program began in 2004, the state has removed and disposed of more
than 22,000 derelict and abandoned crab traps, according to Wildlife &
Fisheries. The removal of the traps conserves the blue crab resource and
also improves waterway safety and navigation, the agency said.