Texas Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program Texas ACTRP • Senate Bill 1410 - Passed during 77th Legislative session (2001) – Mandated 10-day closure period in February • Conducted annually since 2002 – ~ 12,000 voluntary hours (> 3,000 volunteers) – > 1,000 vessels –> 35,000 traps! Commercial Crab Trap Tags in Texas 100000 90000 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 92 94 96 98 178 Licenses, 200 traps per license Condition Assessment • From 2002-2003, we performed an assessment study of retrieved traps looking at location, condition, bycatch, etc. Condition Assessment of Traps • 1,703 traps studied • 12% located on seagrass beds • 46% had ID present • 63% in fishable condition • 42% degradable panel present • 33% open • Oldest confirmed trap dated 1991 • 3 Diamondback terrapins Number % of Species Observed Scientific Name Observed Total Blue crab Callinectes sapidus 314 49 Stone crab Menippe adina 179 28 Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus 48 7 Thinstripe hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus 30 5 Gulf toadfish Opsanus beta 28 4 Black drum Pogonias cromis 12 2 Hardhead catfish Arius felis 6 1 Striped mullet Mugil cephalus 6 1 Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus 4 1 Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides 3 <0.01 Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus 3 <0.01 Diamondback terrapin Malaclemys terrapin littoralis 3 <0.01 Longnose spider crab Libinia dubia 2 <0.01 Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma 2 <0.01 Spotted scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri 2 <0.01 Pelecypoda Rangia spp. 1 <0.01 Musk turtle Family Kinosternidae 1 <0.01 Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus 1 <0.01 Gray snapper Lutjanus griseus 1 <0.01 Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis 1 <0.01 Inshore lizardfish Synodus foetens 1 <0.01 TOTAL OBSERVED 647 100 Total Traps Removed (2002-2018) 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 Total Traps Removed Traps Total 4000 2000 0 Sabine Lake Galveston Matagorda San Antonio Aransas Corpus ULM LLM Christi Bay System Total Traps Removed (2002-2018) 16000 Traps Volunteers 14000 Sabine Lake 1,810 126 Galveston Bay 13,338 1418 12000 Matagorda Bay 2,418 151 10000 San Antonio Bay 11,002 1045 Aransas Bay 3,829 344 8000 Corpus Christi Bay 569 124 Up Laguna Madre 385 22 6000 Low Laguna Madre 369 101 4000 Total Traps Removed Traps Total 2000 0 Bay System Espiritu Santo Bay February 2002 Aerial Survey Port O’Connor Espiritu Santo Bay February 2005 Aerial Survey Port O’Connor Total Traps Removed Coastwide (2002-2018) 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 Total Traps Removed Traps Total 2000 1000 0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Year Logistics • Funding – Donations from partners for dumpsters, tarps, gloves, supplies • Staffing – State funds and operational budget – Volunteer • Disposal – Dumpsters, donated Partners ACTRP & Diamondback terrapin • 2005 ACTRP – 22 terrapins recovered out of 4 traps in Galveston Bay – (20 found in 2 traps) – All dead • 2006 ACTRP – 4 found in 1 trap in East Galveston Bay – All alive • 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 – One found dead each year • (3 in GB, 1 in Lavaca Bay, 1 in SAB) Total Total Number of Catch in %Total of Traps # terrapins % of total TWPD TPWD Bay System ACTRP ACTRP ACTRP gear catch Sabine Lake 1515 0 5% 3 4% Galveston Bay 12397 29 40% 13 19% Matagorda Bay 2322 1 7% 16 23% San Antonio Bay 9942 1 32% 14 20% Aransas Bay 3766 0 12% 9 13% Corpus Christi Bay 553 0 2% 15 21% Up Laguna Madre 385 0 1% 0 0% Low Laguna Madre 357 0 1% 0 0% Future Efforts • Aerial survey (San Antonio Bay Foundation) and high-resolution sidescan sonar (this year) • HumminBird Helix SI (455 /1200 khz) Questions? .