Wallisville Park staff cleans up abandoned crab traps

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US Army Corps of Engineers

Galveston District Website

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Each year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division (TPWD) closes crab fishing with wire mesh crab traps for ten days to give volunteers the opportunity to round up lost and abandoned traps. The closure is traditionally in late February or early March. Unattended traps “ghost fish” and kill blue crabs and other species unnecessarily and can also create a navigation hazard for boaters.
According to a press release from TPWD, since the “Crab Trap Roundup” began 22 years ago, volunteers have removed 42,500 derelict traps, saving an estimated 700,000 blue crabs, a valuable natural resource.
Each year at the Wallisville Lake Project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG) personnel join the Crab Trap Roundup, while they patrol.

Wallisville Park staff cleans up abandoned crab traps

An osprey flies over Old River near Wallisville, Texas, Feb. 22, 2024. Ospreys are just one of many species at the Wallisville Lake Project. Crab Trap Roundup removes “ghost fishing” traps which kill crabs, fish and other species.

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Tags: safety, environmental stewardship, water management, crab trap round up

Photo by: Luke Waack | VIRIN: 240222-A-XJ740-1131.JPG

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