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.
The Wallisville Lake Project maintains and operates the Trinity River salinity barrier, keeping salt water out of Houston’s water supply. The project also covers 23,000 acres of wetlands, prime blue crab habitat where commercial and recreational crabbers drop hundreds of wire mesh traps each year. Some of these traps lose their buoys during storms or get pushed far from where they were deployed and become hazards to wildlife and humans in boats.
“It’s our duty to help out and to make this project as natural as possible,” said David Mackintosh, Chief, Houston Project Office.
This year, the Wallisville Lake Project cleanup team was led by Eric Angle, SWG Natural Resources Management Specialist, on Feb. 22.
To begin the mission, Angle gave a safety brief to his team – all of whom were new to the roundup - to tell them what to expect and to review potential hazards of using long poles with hooks to retrieve traps stuck in mud or vegetation.
“This is a big one,” Angle said. “We have traps that are stuck in the silt and they’re halfway in the water and they’re going to be stuck in the mud really good, so that’s where those poles with the hooks come in and they’re going to help us lift those.”
The last thing we want to do is to strain our backs, strain our muscles or bodies, Angle continued.
“Use proper lifting techniques, use your legs, don’t use your back and use those hooks,” Angle said.
Angle also advised his team on air boat safety.
An air boat, which has a huge fan for propulsion instead of a motor in the water with a propeller, was used for the mission for ease of use in shallow water where many traps become stuck in mud.
Since the air boat doesn’t have a propeller in the water, it can be pushed by strong wind, Angle said.
“I know there are going to be times when I’m trying to get the crab trap and I’m just not going to be able to get it,” Angle said. “I’m going to have to go back around and try again because the wind’s going to be really strong.”
When the traps start to pile up on the deck, watch your footing, Angle continued.
“It’s going to get wet; it’s going to get muddy so there is the potential to slip to fall,” Angle said. “It’s going to be greater when you have those traps on here so be mindful of that and make sure you have good secure footing.”
Gloves are also important because sometimes, there may be a crab or catfish in the trap, Angle said.
“Use gloves, because there are some puncture points that that may occur when you’re lifting up the scrap trap,” Angle said.
After the safety briefing, the team loaded the air boat and headed out on the Trinity River.
Recent rain had elevated the Trinity River and the Wallisville salinity barrier was open, and fresh water flowed quickly down river.
The weather was warm, and alligators were spotted sunning themselves on riverbanks.
Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets and Ospreys hunted for fish while the team hunted crab traps.
Low tide, when traps are most visible in low water, was a few hours ahead of them and Angle piloted the air boat northwest toward the I-10 bridge over Old River Lake. As the air boat turned from west to north into the lake, they spotted their first trap on the right bank in the reeds.
Spotters gave a shout and pointed to the trap and Angle steered the boat toward the bank.
Zachary Gisler, SWG maintenance worker, reached out with a pole to pull the trap to the boat. Obed Contreras-Sosa, SWG heavy equipment operator, worked the front of the boat with Gisler and Dan Hartman, SWG engineering technician, sat next to Angle and spotted traps and assisted in pulling traps and trash into the boat.
The team then repeated the process as they patrolled around the estuary, pulling crab traps wherever they saw them.
High water hindered the effort, but the team managed to retrieve 10 crab traps, dozens of crab trap Styrofoam buoys, twelve out of season duck decoys and a helium balloon.
Balloons are known hazards to sea turtles, so the team made sure to stop and remove it from the ecosystem and prevented it from reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sea turtles will eat balloons and the material stays in their stomach undigested and can lead to death.
“I love getting the stuff out of the water,” Gisler said. “I hate getting snagged on this when I’m fishing myself and it’s much better for the environment, for the fish, for everything, to be more natural.”
Despite high water, in a few short hours the team collected a sizable collection of traps and trash, filling the front deck of the air boat.
“I thought it was a successful event,” Angle said. “Everybody worked safely during the mission, and we were able to get a few crab traps out the way, and remove a few trash items as well.”
Angle encouraged the public to call the Wallisville Lake Project if they wish to volunteer for the USACE Earth Day Clean-up, happening Apr. 22.
“We have volunteers that clean up throughout the projects and there’s a lot of trash on these highly used recreational areas, our volunteers really help out,” Angle said.
Would you like to help clean up the Wallisville area on Earth Day 2024? Call (409) 389-2285 to volunteer.
To see more on crab trap round up at Wallisville, visit .
Volunteers can receive supplies from TPWD to assist in the roundup for 2025 by sending an email to crabtrap@tpwd.texas.gov.
To read more about the project: Wallisville Lake Project offers visitors outdoor fun, relaxation > Galveston District > News Stories (army.mil).