Characterization of Abandoned Crab Traps and Bycatch during the 2002-2007 Texas Crab
Since the inception of Texas' Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program in 2002, volunteers and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) staff have removed 24,047 abandoned crab traps from the coastal waters of Texas. From 2002-2007 TPWD staff collected data from a minimum of 30 traps from each coastal ecosystem, recording numbers and species of organisms observed, trap condition, location, and presence of trap owner identification, escape rings, and degradable panels. A total of 1,703 traps were studied. Forty-one species of organisms were observed with the majority (53%) made up of blue crab...
