• Local Produce
  • Buy Local
  • Local Seafood
  • Local Food
  • Local Music
  • Local Art
  • Local Churches

CAPE CHARLES MIRROR

Reflections on Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore

  • Local Services
  • Local Rentals
  • Local Employment
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
  • PODCAST
  • Pets
  • Contact Us

VIMS wants to talk ghost pots with waterman…why??

February 3, 2019 by Wayne Creed 3 Comments

Next month, VIMS will send a survey to more than 1,000 licensed hard pot crabbers in the state seeking feedback about their experiences with derelict crab pots, also commonly known as “ghost” pots.

VIMS says studies show that crabbers may lose up to a fifth of their pots— usually to foul weather or boat propellers— every year, and those lost pots can cause ecological and economic impacts. The Institute is hoping the survey will shed light on how watermen view the problem, and help identify ways to reduce the number of pots lingering in Bay waters.

The Derelict Blue Crab Pot Survey was created by VIMS graduate student and Virginia Sea Grant graduate research fellow Jim DelBene, who says it’s crucial that commercial watermen in Virginia be able to share their opinions so that regulators can try to solve the problem in the most effective way. “Successful mitigation strategies require buy-in from the crabbers,” DelBene says, “so it’s essential to hear from them.”

Here’s the real story. Derelict pots are, 95% of the time, not the fault of professional waterman. In fact, every waterman I know checks out and picks up derelict pots. The ghost pot problem is mainly caused by recreational fishers, many of them with very expensive homes along the coast and creeks. If you want to educate someone about derelict fishing gear, you need to start with recreational fisherman.

It’s odd you would have to say this to so-called scientists—but not really surprising either.

Filed Under: Bottom, News

Comments

  1. Daniel Burke says

    February 3, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    I find these data hard to accept. 95% of the problem is with recreational fishermen. 95 out of 100 abandoned pots are from recreational. I doubt there are 95 recreational pots in the water at any one time. Commercial watermen don’t want recreational people on the water. They seem to think they have a divine right. I had to move my boat from the marina. Things would mysteriously ‘go missing’.

    Reply
  2. Kearn SCHEMM says

    February 3, 2019 at 9:52 pm

    There are plenty of them, every summer I see two or three just on our town beach.

    Reply
  3. Jack Trump says

    February 4, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    I’ve got 2 boats. I sure hate it when my prop hits a ghost pot and it dents the prop or gets hung up on it and spins around n round n round.
    I’ve been out plenty of times at low water and found ghost pots. They are loaded with dead critters that waste our natural resources. I can’t see any positive to leaving these pots out there.
    Crabbers pay over $30 for a “ready to go” pot. They aren’t leaving them out there on purpose.
    I see no problem w/VIMS asking crabbers for input. I do see a problem if VIMS wants to blame the problem on them, or if they expect the crabbers to clean ’em up for nothing, or drag them to a recycling or waste collection point. All that costs $. I see no reason why crabbers should bear the brunt of this cleanup. With their pot losses, they already are.
    So I’d like to see crabbers input. They are the pros out there. Let’s see if the two partys can find a good solution. If we try nothing we will for sure gain nothing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Join the Conversation!

Send letters, opinion, goings on or photos to capecharlesmirror@gmail.com

Mirrors

Recent Comments

  • MJM on Northampton to remove Confederate statue
  • Paul Plante on Trump Releases Crossfire Hurricane transcripts
  • Paul Plante on Op-Ed: Biden, the Bastard President
  • Paul Plante on Op-Ed: To Heal the Nation, Biden Must Apologize
  • MJM on Military Lockdown in DC
  • MJM on Op-Ed: Biden, the Bastard President
  • don green on Who is Bearded Riot Guy??
  • Scotiagirl on Military Lockdown in DC
  • Scotiagirl on How Do Face Masks Work?
  • Paul Plante on Military Lockdown in DC
  • Paul Plante on Open Letter to Spencer Morgan, Accomack County Commonwealth’s Attorney
  • Paul Plante on Congresswoman Elaine Luria Votes to Impeach President Trump for Inciting an Insurrection
  • Paul Plante on Open Letter to Spencer Morgan, Accomack County Commonwealth’s Attorney
  • Sara on Congresswoman Elaine Luria Votes to Impeach President Trump for Inciting an Insurrection
  • Paul Plante on Northampton to remove Confederate statue
  • Sara on Military Lockdown in DC
  • Louise Trader Johnson on Open Letter to Spencer Morgan, Accomack County Commonwealth’s Attorney
  • Paul Plante on Northampton to remove Confederate statue
  • Paul Plante on 481,550 Virginians Have Received Covid-19 Vax
  • Stuart Bell on Military Lockdown in DC

Trending Now

  • Northampton to remove Confederate statue
  • Open Letter to Spencer Morgan, Accomack County Commonwealth’s Attorney
  • Military Lockdown in DC
  • Congresswoman Luria Secures Seat on House Committee on Homeland Security
  • When Can I Get Vaccinated for Covid-19?
  • Op-Ed: Biden, the Bastard President
  • Still Searching: Sonar will be used to locate body of lost trucker at CBBT
  • What Did 2020 Mean for the Chesapeake Bay’s Fish, Crabs, and Oysters?
  • Who is Bearded Riot Guy??
  • Op-Ed: To Heal the Nation, Biden Must Apologize

Subscribe to CC Mirror via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in