National TRAP Program funds large-scale cleanup of discarded fishing gear

(Press-News.org) A massive cleanup of derelict fishing gear in U.S. coastal waters is set to begin now that William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS has awarded $1.4 million to fund 11 projects under the National Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention (TRAP) Program. From diving in waters up to 130 feet deep to retrieve lobster and crab traps in protected ecosystems to the removal of debris in tribal fishing grounds, this initial round of projects facilitates removal efforts in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New York, Washington and the Freely Associated State of Palau, in addition to supporting ongoing efforts through the Virginia Marine Debris Program.

The funding for the removal projects stems from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Following a rigorous review and selection process, the Batten School & VIMS received an $8 million, four-year grant from NOAA in 2023 to administer the National TRAP Program. In addition to distributing approximately $1.5 million annually to fund regional cleanup efforts in years 2 through 4, this project aims to standardize data collection practices and establish a national database to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of these efforts and inform future policies.

“This is a special program because it allows local communities to tackle the issues that impact their environments and livelihoods the most, all under the same overarching goal,” said Kirk Havens, who directs the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which administers the TRAP Program under the direction of co-principal investigators Professor Donna Bilkovic and Associate Professor Andrew Scheld. “The Batten School & VIMS is uniquely positioned to lead these efforts thanks to our nearly two decades of experience tackling this issue in the Chesapeake Bay.”

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. Beginning in 2008, VIMS partnered with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and local watermen to establish the Virginia Marine Debris Removal Program, which ultimately led to the removal of more than 34,000 derelict crab pots between 2008 and 2014.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program was involved in these initial efforts, funding ongoing research by CCRM evaluating the ecological and economic impacts of the derelict gear. A 2016 study estimated removal efforts over the six year period in Virginia and Maryland increased blue crab harvests in the Chesapeake Bay by 38 million pounds, putting an extra $33.5 million into the pockets of local watermen. An additional 2016 report revealed that removing just 10% of derelict crab pots and lobster traps on a global basis could increase landings by 293,929 metric tons—a yearly value of $831 million.

“The TRAP Program is innovative in the way it combines a multitude of regional cleanup projects with data collection and analysis to guide national policies and future efforts. This approach can serve as a model for solving global issues related to marine resources and the resilience of coastal communities that rely on them,” said Derek Aday, dean of the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and director of VIMS.

Funding recipients will begin their cleanup efforts in January 2025 and will be required to submit standardized data on their progress. The data will be analyzed by the Policy Innovation Lab, a partnership between the Batten School & VIMS and the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government, to explore drivers of derelict trap abundance, bycatch and other ecological or economic variables. This information will help inform state and federal policy recommendations to improve derelict trap prevention and mitigation.

In the spring of 2025, the Batten School & VIMS will solicit proposals for funding in 2026. Those interested in becoming engaged are encouraged to visit trapprogram.org for more information on the TRAP Program and associated removal projects.

“We are proud to support these projects with the Batten School & VIMS,” said Amy Gohres, acting director for the NOAA Marine Debris Program. “This partnership helps to ensure that Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is benefiting fishing communities, economically important species, and habitats at the local level.”

Projects funded by the National TRAP Program

The following projects were selected through a national competitive grant process administered by the Batten School & VIMS. In addition to the recipients below, the Batten School & VIMS received $152,669 to build on the success of the Virginia Marine Debris Removal Program. These efforts will continue to employ local fishermen to target hotspot areas of derelict traps in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay, providing valuable information on the rate of trap accumulation in active blue crab fishery areas and the economic and ecological impacts of the discarded gear.

The California Lobster & Trap Fishermen’s Association received $105,550 to initiate the removal of lost fishing gear from beaches south of Point Conception down to San Diego, as well as in the Channel Islands. Severe swell events in the past two years have increased the number of traps washing ashore and getting lost underwater, which increases the likelihood of ghost fishing and other potential ecological hazards both in the water and on the beach. A total of $150,580 was awarded to Coastal Mapping & Sciences, LLC in Louisiana to build on the success of the current Louisiana Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program. They will locate, map and remove derelict blue crab traps from high-density areas, collecting standardized data and reducing damaging ecological effects. Louisiana’s Terrebonne Basin, Lake Pontchartrain and Barataria Basin account for approximately 60% of all traps lost in the Gulf of Mexico Region. Cornell Cooperative Extension was awarded $141,249 to remove approximately 1,000 derelict lobster pots that were abandoned in the Long Island Sound following the catastrophic Long Island Sound lobster die-off in 1999. The team will work with longstanding collaborators to build upon efforts that have resulted in the removal of over 22,000 derelict lobster pots from the Long Island Sound to date. Delaware Sea Grant received $69,504 to remove derelict recreational blue crab pots from Delaware’s Inland Bays, collect data to understand the problem and its effects and educate the Delaware recreational fishing community about the impact that discarded fishing gear can have on the environment. Ebiil Society, Inc received $128,000 to remove derelict mangrove crab traps and abandoned clam farm structures that threaten public access, navigational safety, and sea life in mangrove and seagrass habitat in the states of Ngarchelong, Ngiwal, Airai and Ngatpang in the Freely Associated State of Palau. The project will clear away fishing gear in these areas, which include Palau’s marine Protected Areas Network sites and a United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Biosphere Reserve. The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation was awarded $154,139 to remove submerged derelict spiny lobster and stone crab traps from the coastal waterways of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Divers will conduct removals in waters up to 130 feet deep using SCUBA equipment and lift bags, allowing for the extraction of traps that have lost their buoys and cannot be retrieved from the surface. The Northwest Straits Foundation, in partnership with Natural Resources Consultants, received $99,500 to remove and prevent derelict crab pots in the Maury Island Aquatic Reserve, which is located within the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ usual and accustomed fishing grounds in Washington. The project will help restore habitat, reduce crab trap entanglement issues, improve navigational safety, support the Tribe’s commercial and subsistence fisheries, and support educational outreach aimed at preventing the re-accumulation of derelict crab pots. Ocean Aid 360 was awarded $170,000 to clean up derelict crab and lobster traps in nearshore benthic waters of the Florida Keys. Building on a previously proven intervention effort, this project aims to achieve broad habitat improvements, benefit NOAA trust resources and support the coastal economy. OceansWide was granted $199,364 to remove abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear around Vinalhaven Island, one of the most active and productive American lobster fishing areas in Maine. The project will create a valuable modeling tool to efficiently and effectively prioritize future gear removal efforts. The Oyster Recovery Partnership received $134,226 to fund the removal of derelict blue crab traps from the waters of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in the Chesapeake Bay. It will build on decades of successful derelict trap removal projects and integrate data from a long-term state mapping initiative to benefit watermen and improve local waterway health. The University of Florida/IFAS Extension and Florida Sea Grant were awarded $119,638 to remove derelict fishing traps and associated debris from coastal and marine habitats, including sea turtle habitat within Biscayne National Park and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Unsightly recreational and commercial trap fishery-related debris in these areas threaten coastal and marine habitats that support a diverse marine ecosystem and a tourism-based economy. The data collected will help National Park and Sanctuary managers better understand the magnitude and sources of debris. END