Preliminary Study of Blue Crab Catch in Traps Fitted With and Without a Diamondback Terrapin Excluder Device
Comparisons were made on the catch rate, sizes of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), and bycatch taken in Mississippi Sound waters with crab traps equipped with and without a diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) excluder device from April through August 1997. The excluder device consisted of welding rods shaped into a 5 X 10 cm rectangle and fitted into the funnel entrances of a common Gulf Coast crab trap. All blue crabs taken were counted, carapace width measured (mm), and sexed. Bycatch was recorded for each sample. A total of 740 blue crabs were captured, 370 in control traps and...
