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Watching And Wading

Photo courtesy of Rachel Arndt.

Dale Fields, Rachel Arndt and Robert Smyth work on removing derelict traps from Upper Tampa Bay.

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By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 16, 2008

Additional photos

TAMPA - When the tide is low, the Tampa Bay Watch group is on patrol; on a mission to remove derelict traps from the 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.

How many are found "all depends on the area and time of year," he said.

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

Traps become derelict when they are left in the water by fishermen during the off season or are left in the open season without a buoy and line, current trap tag or current commercial saltwater products license, according to a Tampa Bay Watch news release. The traps continue capturing and consequently killing marine life long after fishermen have abandoned the traps.

When removed from the water, the traps are usually partially crushed or rusty and covered in barnacles or oysters, Sutton said.

Tampa Bay Watch has been removing the traps since 2004, and the group has removed 580 traps in the 13 trips it has made. Those trips have been in areas such as Cockroach Bay and near the Alafia River.

When the group made its recent trip to the Upper Tampa Bay area, several blue crabs, stone crabs, conch and whelk were found alive and released from the traps.

Sutton said juvenile crabs and fish are likely to get caught in the traps. Recently the group found a live goliath grouper in one of the traps. Those fish tend to slip in and become trapped once they have grown from feeding in the cage, he said.

Peter Clark, director of Tampa Bay Watch, said the trap removal trips were originally to stop bycatch - the capture of marine life in traps not meant for that species. The traps also become debris in the waterways and are a hazard to boaters, Clark said.

Sutton added that people wading in the water and birds landing on the water can cut themselves on the traps.

"I've personally run my engine into at least two crab traps over the years that were not marked, that were in the middle of a channel," Clark said in a phone interview. "So there's a public safety issue as well."

For years, thousands of traps have been abandoned in Tampa Bay. The group usually talks to local crabbers, boaters and fishing guides for tips on possible locations, then it targets a location and surveys the area using a helicopter, Sutton said.

The group later goes out and removes the traps.

Although the traps are a nuisance to marine life and boaters, Tampa Bay Watch urges the public to not remove the traps. The removals are done by trained volunteers. Anyone who sees a trap is advised to record the location on GPS and call the group at (727) 867-8166.

Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit stewardship program that focuses on protecting and maintaining the marine environments of the Tampa Bay estuary.

Sutton said the groups efforts have helped.

"It's something that needed to be done for a while now," he said, "and its good there's people out there helping out."

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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