The Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) has been selected to participate in a massive cleanup of derelict fishing gear in U.S. coastal waters as part of the National Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment and Prevention (TRAP) Program. The program is administered by William and Mary’s Batten School and VIMS with funds stemming from an initial $8 million, four-year grant awarded by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program (MDP) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
ORP was one of 11 groups who received a total of $1.4 million to lead local gear removal projects in the TRAP Program’s first year of distributing subawards. A grant of $134,226 was awarded to ORP to remove derelict blue crab traps from Anne Arundel County waters in the Chesapeake Bay. This project builds on decades of successful derelict crab trap removal efforts by leveraging data from the Maryland’s Geological Survey’s long-term state mapping initiative to identify traps for removal and hiring watermen to retrieve and dispose of the gear.
Coastal waters in the U.S. and around the world are littered with fishing equipment that has been lost, abandoned or otherwise discarded. It can harm ecosystems and economies by trapping and killing animals, damaging marine habitats, and competing with actively fished gear.
Since 2012, ORP has partnered with local watermen to remove more than 30,000 derelict crab traps and other debris from Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. Recent retrieval efforts in the Upper Bay, particularly in Baltimore County waters, have removed over 6000 derelict traps and pieces of debris. These sustained efforts provide ecological and economic benefits by improving waterway health, recycling and reusing salvageable gear, and fostering collaboration between watermen and scientists. In late February/March 2025, this work will take place during the winter closure of the blue crab fishery, providing off-season financial support for watermen, reducing gear competition, and preventing unintended bycatch, all of which support the sustainability of the fishery and the broader community that relies on it. This year’s focus is the Severn and South Rivers.
Visit oysterrecovery.org for more information.