Determining Effectiveness of Dungeness Crab Escapement in Derelict Traps Commonly used in the Washington Waters of the Salish Sea
Presentation Abstract
The prevalence and impacts of derelict crab traps in the Washington waters of the Salish Sea have been well documented by partnering organizations and agencies within the region. Several efforts have been made to reduce trap loss, extract accumulated traps and reduce the impacts (i.e., Dungeness crab mortality, habitat degradation) of traps that become derelict. When properly equipped with legally compliant biodegradable escape cord, a derelict trap becomes “disabled” upon escape cord degradation, allowing an egress route for entrapped crab to escape. However, among the multiple trap designs commonly used in the region, the effectiveness of escapement varies. A laboratory experiment simulating derelict traps was conducted to analyze the escapement effectiveness of 13 trap designs, some equipped with simple modifications. The least successful trap designs in allowing crab escapement were those with escape routes that require crab to push open a door situated on the topside of the trap, offset from the edge. Escapement effectiveness in these traps improved when equipped with a bungee, designed to spring the door open upon escape cord degradation, but escape rates still did not reach the desired 1.00 escapee per crab tested. The traps most successful at allowing crab escapement were those that provided an unobstructed escape panel either on the wall of the trap or along the edge of the topside of the trap. Traps that are not initially designed with this feature can be easily modified by detaching one escape ring, and re-attaching it with escape cord. The opening in the trap following escape cord degradation from the ring falling to the seafloor provides crab the ability to freely escape. This was the first reporting of escapement effectiveness from derelict crab traps of the region, and results can assist in resource management and gear manufacturing decisions.
Session Title
Plastic in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Fate and Effects of Pollutants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Dungeness crab--Effect of fishing on--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine debris--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine pollution--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Dungeness crab fisheries--Dungeness crab fisheries--Washington (State)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Washington (State)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Determining Effectiveness of Dungeness Crab Escapement in Derelict Traps Commonly used in the Washington Waters of the Salish Sea
2016SSEC
The prevalence and impacts of derelict crab traps in the Washington waters of the Salish Sea have been well documented by partnering organizations and agencies within the region. Several efforts have been made to reduce trap loss, extract accumulated traps and reduce the impacts (i.e., Dungeness crab mortality, habitat degradation) of traps that become derelict. When properly equipped with legally compliant biodegradable escape cord, a derelict trap becomes “disabled” upon escape cord degradation, allowing an egress route for entrapped crab to escape. However, among the multiple trap designs commonly used in the region, the effectiveness of escapement varies. A laboratory experiment simulating derelict traps was conducted to analyze the escapement effectiveness of 13 trap designs, some equipped with simple modifications. The least successful trap designs in allowing crab escapement were those with escape routes that require crab to push open a door situated on the topside of the trap, offset from the edge. Escapement effectiveness in these traps improved when equipped with a bungee, designed to spring the door open upon escape cord degradation, but escape rates still did not reach the desired 1.00 escapee per crab tested. The traps most successful at allowing crab escapement were those that provided an unobstructed escape panel either on the wall of the trap or along the edge of the topside of the trap. Traps that are not initially designed with this feature can be easily modified by detaching one escape ring, and re-attaching it with escape cord. The opening in the trap following escape cord degradation from the ring falling to the seafloor provides crab the ability to freely escape. This was the first reporting of escapement effectiveness from derelict crab traps of the region, and results can assist in resource management and gear manufacturing decisions.
