Ghost crab pots are lost commercial-style traps no longer attached to buoys. In the Delaware Inland Bays, a recreational only blue crab fishery, they litter the seafloor, damage boat propellers, and trap marine life—posing both environmental and navigational risks.
Delaware Sea Grant and the CSHEL lab are collaborating with state and local partners and volunteers to not only remove derelict crab pots from Delaware’s Inland Bays, but to collect information on locally-relevant impacts. University of Delaware and Delaware Sea Grant’s Derelict Crab Pot Round-Up empowers boaters and community members to reduce marine debris in Delaware’s Inland Bays and beyond. This initiative trains volunteers to become Trap Trackers to use Mobile Mapping Units equipped with side-scan sonar to locate and retrieve lost crab pots, and collect data.
Learn more about the Trap Trackers Program
Our removal event happens in the fall of every year in the Delaware Inland Bays watershed, however we are always looking for boaters who are willing to map the sea floor bottom at any time. There are multiple volunteer and boater roles that are needed.
To find out more details, please visit our Delaware Sea Grant website or reach out to us.
