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Bay Watch Trashes Old Traps

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 19, 2008

Updated: 02/18/2008 11:46 pm

When the tide is low, the Tampa Bay Watch group is on patrol, on a mission to remove derelict crab and fish traps from waters of Tampa Bay, hoping to save marine life.

On a recent Saturday, about 30 Tampa Bay Watch members and volunteers used airboats provided by the Florida Airboat Association to navigate upper Tampa Bay.

On a good day, the group brings back an average of 30 traps. This time, the crew fished out 83. Winter is the best time to find the traps because of the low tide, said Chris Sutton, an environmental scientist with the group.

On another recent trip, the crew found 19 traps around the waters of Caladesi and Honeymoon islands.

The derelict traps not only imprison and sometimes kill marine life, but also pose other threats. Sutton said that people wading in the water and birds landing on the water can cut themselves on the traps, and some traps pose hazards to boaters.

The group follows certain procedures to distinguish between legal traps and those that have been abandoned. People are urged not to remove traps on their own, but to record the location on GPS and call the group at (727) 867-8166.

Angela Delgado

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