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New Marine Debris Research Report Assesses Derelict Fishing Gear in the Chesapeake Bay

OCT. 28, 2016--As part of a research project supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, a team of researchers from CSS-Dynamac, Inc.; Versar, Inc.; the Virginia Institute of Marine Science; and Global Science & Technology, Inc. recently completed a comprehensive assessment of the ecological and economic impacts of derelict blue crab pots in the Chesapeake Bay.


The results of this assessment can be found in the recently-released Ecological and Economic Effects of Derelict Fishing Gear in the Chesapeake Bay: Final Assessment Report.

The study found that targeted derelict crab pot removal programs greatly increase the number of crabs caught by actively-fished pots, resulting in significant economic benefits for the fishery. It also concluded that removing crab pots is most effective when focused on areas with intensive crab fishing activity and suggests management actions that may help in reducing the number of new derelict pots and their associated negative impacts. For more results, check out the report.

A Guiding Framework for derelict fishing gear assessments was also created as part of this project, which can be applied to other fisheries and/or regions interested in conducting similar studies.

For more information, please contact the Marine Debris Program’s Chief Scientist, Amy.Uhrin@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.

Derelict crab pot out of the water.
The new assessment looks at derelict crab pots, such as this, in the Chesapeake Bay. (CCRM/VIMS)
Last updated Friday, May 26, 2023 9:44am PDT