The Barnegat Bay "Ghost" Crab Pot Project

The Barnegat Bay "Ghost" Crab Pot Project

Why It Matters

Crabbing in the Barnegat Bay is a timeless and annual tradition for countless residents and summer visitors. Yet when those crab pots are abandoned or adrift, they can become death traps for local wildlife, including at-risk species like diamondback terrapin.

Barnegat Bay is approximately 42 miles of brackish marsh and bay bordering Ocean County. The bay and surrounding marshlands are rich in vital resources that directly and indirectly support over 60,000 jobs and have an economic value of $2 to $4 billion dollars annually (Barnegat Bay Partnership Economic Report 2012). Part of that economic value is attributed to the tremendous blue claw crab fishery in the bay. During any given month of peak crabbing (May-October), 169,000 people recreationally crab with peak activity in July with 385,000 people recreational crabbing in Barnegat Bay.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates that commercial and recreational crabbers harvest around 6 million crabs per year from New Jersey waters. Barnegat Bay, along with Little Egg Harbor and the Maurice River estuary comprise approximately 65-86% of the recreational harvest that occurs annually. Recreational crabbers use a variety of methods, but typically rely on baited pots or hand lines for crabbing. Regulations exist for the use of pots, but their unintentional loss has created an economic and environmental problem for all portions of Barnegat Bay.

Due to passing boat traffic, storms, or simply forgetfulness, abandoned “ghost” crab pots litter Barnegat Bay, continuing to catch crabs and fish. When animals get stuck in a crab pot, they attract more animals, which in turn are also trapped. Ghost crab pots will continue to kill marine crabs, fish, and turtles as they are lost.

Fish are not the only victims of the crab pot death traps – the diamondback terrapin, a turtle species that is currently experiencing an alarming population decline, is a common victim of ghost crab pots. One crab pot has even been found to contain 17 dead terrapins.

Conservation Efforts

Produced by Citizen Racecar, Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s video “Fishing for a Cleaner Barnegat Bay” details our innovative project addressing this complex ecological challenge.

CWF, supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Marine Debris Removal Program, is tackling the problem directly by finding and removing abandoned crab pots from the water. GPS grid and SONAR imagery from Stockton University allows recovery teams to find exactly where the crab pots are located. Low-cost SONAR devices can even be used by well-trained fishermen to find their own crab pots merely days after losing them.

During two phases of this project, CWF and our partners removed over 2,100 abandoned crab pots from Barnegat Bay. During phase three of this project, we aim to remove an additional 1,000 crab pots during the winters of 2021-23. In partnership with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Fishing for Energy, the metal crab pots are either recycled or used to create energy by local and corporate partners Covanta and Schnitzer Steel.

SUBPAGES:
1. Shallow Water Estuary Recovery Plan
a. Training Modules
b. Best Crabbing Practices
c. Questions and Answers
2. Story Map – connecting Barnegat Bay and coastal communities
3. BRD Distribution Centers
4. Marine Debris Campaign
a. Social media/blog posts
b. Citizen Science Project Page (most likely Facebook)
c. Materials and resources
d. Lesson plans

Partners

In addition to NOAA’s support for the project, the video was made possible by funding from the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership. Other project partners and supporters include the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science – Ocean County Vocational-Technical School, Stockton University, Monmouth University, Covanta, Schnitzer Steel, ReClam the Bay, Save Barnegat Bay, American Littoral Society, and Berkley Township Underwater Search and Rescue.