Alarming number of “ghost crab pots” found in Delaware’s Inland Bays
LEWES, Del. – It’s no secret that Delmarva thrives off of the crabbing industry. But a new study done by the University of Delaware and Delaware Sea Grant shows that forgotten and lost crab pots, also known as ghost crab pots, are very harmful to our environment.
Most people know how something as small as a plastic straw can get into our oceans and kill animals. So what about a crab pot that’s forgotten in the water? Researchers tell 47 ABC recreational crabbers are the main culprit and the problem is they don’t even realize the damage they’re doing.
“I just felt my heart sinking knowing that we were seeing so many of these crab pots,” says Art Trembanis, associate professor of oceanography at the University of Delaware.
A team of Delaware experts is sharing some eye opening findings. After surveying just half of one percent of the state’s inland bays, they say they found 160 abandoned or lost crab pots. The pots create litter, are hazardous to boats and are harming our environment in countless ways below the surface.
“The issue with these lost pots is that they have the potential to continue to attract organisms like blue crabs and other fishes, even diamondback terrapins. Some of these organisms can’t escape and instead they die and that creates a cycle of mortality,” says Kate Fleming, coastal ecology specialist with Delaware Sea Grant.
Right now, three areas of the Rehoboth Bay are the main focus including Bay Cove. So experts are using sonar technology and sea floor mapping tools, like autonomous boats and drones, to find the areas with the most crab pots since it’s hard to see deep into the murky water.
“One of the real challenges in our shallow Inland Bays is it’s very turbid. So you really can’t see it from the air. Just even a few inches of water and it’s just chocolate brown and you really can’t see,” says Trembanis.
And while this is just the tip of the iceberg, these experts hope that this small amount of research will help educate people about the safest ways to crab.
“They should be using bycatch reduction devices on all funnel entrances of these Chesapeake style crab pots. They’re required in Delaware. They’re usually sold separately from the crab pot. They can get them at most feet and tackle shops,” says Fleming.
“We want people to know that this is a problem. We want them to know that they can play a real important role to make sure that they tie them well, that they place them properly, that they recover them,” says Trembanis.
Moving forward, researchers hope to create a program that focuses on finding and removing lost crab pots. They add that they’ve only scratched the surface of this problem and that their work is far from over. This summer, researchers along with a group of interns will test how drones can be used to help map and look for crab pot buoys.
