Due to Alaska's extreme weather conditions and remote locations, working in the field during the winter in most places is nearly impossible. That means that field activities must happen in a defined “field season,” sometime between April and October for most of the state. Even during the summer season, completing field activities is complex and requires lots of preparation. It’s essential to “gear up” and ensure everything is prepped and planned so that no time is wasted during the short season.
Commercial crabbers from Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia are collaborating with scientists from Stockton University in New Jersey and the William and Mary’s Batten School and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to reduce derelict fishing gear and support the Mid-Atlantic’s productive blue crab fishery. With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, these two projects help sustain crabbers by providing employment opportunities during the fishing off-season. Crabbers help develop solutions to minimize trap loss, identify and remove lost pots in the water, salvage usable pots, and return costly gear to the commercial crabbing community. The winter crab trap recovery season recently came to a close, and both projects achieved significant milestones.
