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“This year we pulled up 407 with the help of the Texas Air Boat Association out in Trinity Bay.”
Emily Demmeck, with the Galveston Bay Foundation, says that’s double the amount taken out of the water last year. She says the crab traps are abandoned for several reasons.
“They’re misplaced, they get left out there in hopes we’re not going to find them in the ten day period, others are abandoned by businesses that no longer exist.”
She says some have been in the water for a long time and its tough work getting out of the mud.
State officials say the traps are not only unsightly, but they are hazardous to wildlife that gets caught in them, they can smother sea grasses and they are problematic to boaters and fishermen. Anyone on the water can remove crab traps through Sunday when this year’s ten-day period ends. You can find drop-off sites for recovered traps at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.