What Happens to Crab Pots When they Aren't Fished out of the Ocean?

Commercial fisheries send millions of tons of fish and seafood to grocery stores every year. One question that arises is what happens to equipment, such as crab pots, when it is lost or left in the ocean.

  1. Design

    • A crab pot is a device typically made of steel and nylon mesh designed to allow crabs to enter the trap yet be unable to exit the trap. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), commercial crab pot designs and regulations vary for each species. However, all crab pots must have a biodegradable seam or design that makes the pot inoperable or unable to catch anything after six months.

    Causes

    • ADFG and Arctic Science Journals explain that crab pots are lost for many reasons. The most common reason is the buoy rope breaking because of bad storms or boat propellers. Fisheries can lose pots because of an emergency or accident with the fishing boat.

    Effects

    • Assuming that regulations are followed as explained by the ADFG, pots would be dangerous to wildlife for six months at most, until they deteriorate and become ineffective. While most commercial fisheries do follow regulations, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has found that private or subsistence fisherman are the chief cause of "ghost pots--traps that continue to catch crabs and other wildlife for even years at a time. This has a large effect on the ecosystem by killing hundreds of crabs, turtles and other fish.