Derelict blue crab traps can continue to capture and kill animals for several years (SEE INFOGRAPHIC). The annual effort to remove them from Virginia waters will take place after December 1, 2022 when the commercial blue crab harvest season closes. Trained volunteers use a Crab Trap App following a protocol required by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the agency responsible for managing the blue crab fishery. The Virginia trap removal program now expands across a wide geographic area thanks to the collaboration of scientists, watermen, fisheries managers, students, and citizens working together.
Register and be authorized to remove lost or abandoned blue crab traps from their local waterways.
Citizen scientists will use the “CRAB TRAP APP” and be able to upload their information to an online map of derelict traps locations
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