CRAB TRAP CLEANUP, 1: Cleaning up after the crabs ... We'll 
have details on Passport to Texas.

Passport to Texas from TPW and the SFWR Program

Commercial crab fishermen use baited wire traps to lure 
their prey. Sometimes it's not just the crab that gets 
away -- the trap can also end up missing in action.

Sometimes these traps can get lost due to storms, or some 
other issues. And, what happens is, unfortunately, they'll 
continue to keep fishing after they've been lost, so we can lose 
some fishes and certainly other marine life in these things. And 
it's very good to get them removed to where that "ghost fishing" 
as its called, can be reduced. :20

Mike Ray is acting division director for coastal fisheries. 
He says errant crab traps can become hazards.

Our number one concern is some of the crabs and fishes and 
even some diamond back terrapins and things like that can 
occasionally get caught in these traps if they do get lost. And, 
we'd like to try to stop that. Obviously, it can be a hazard to 
boat traffic and things like that, too, if they tend to be where 
the boats run; it certainly can be a blight for just for folks 
seeing these things, and its certainly another reason that we 
like to get them removed. :28

A yearly crab trap clean up takes place along the coast to 
minimize their impact. This year's clean up pulled in close 
to two-thousand traps.

We'll have more about the cleanups tomorrow.

That's our show ... with support from the SFWR Program ... 
providing funding for the operations and management of 
Sea Center Texas. 

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti. 







Total sound bite time:		 0:48.0
Maximum Script time:		 0:37.0 Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25