Old discarded crab traps
 

Are there any rules regarding the collection of old crab traps that have blown up or been pushed up on the bank? We have fished in west cove a few times recently and there are lots of traps piled up along the mouth of the canals. If it's legal, I was thinking about picking up a few for personal use next year, but I couldn't find anything specific about it online.

Welcome to the site :D ...

As far as your question, I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole ...

Hydro

Thanks. I have been using the site for a little while but mostly to look at all the fish and wonder what I am doing wrong.

As far as the traps, I don't want to do anything illegal or shady, but didn't know what else happens to them once they pile up on the bank.

I don't think of it as illegal or shady, you just don't want anyone to mistake you for someone who is lifting gear ... Cross the wrong guy on the water or at the boat landing and things can go downhill quick ...

My 2c ...

Depending on the area they are sometime picked up by a derelict crab trap program put on by Sea Grant. Usually to be crushed and thrown away. At some point they were going to try to reuse them as a building material. Just remember each trap is tagged to be able to identify who they belong to.

leave them alone. if u have one in possession and it is tagged with another mans tag the fine is outragous, not to mention you will be in the newspaper branded a thief and a poacher and a person to cheap/lazy to get off his rear end and get his own equipment. lol
but hey, people steal all the time. maybe you can go find some guys wife/husband or truck u like and just take that too. maybe just go fill up your boat/truck with gas and drive off without paying. basically the same thing. NOT saying you would ever do such a thing, but that's what i think about people who steal crab traps.

now a offical cleanup day sanctioned by some gov agency to get rid of all the broken up, barnicled up useless, discarded traps, well i'm all for that.

the days of wealthy crab fisherman is over, if it is still legle and will hold a crab them guys will continue to fish it. traps ain't cheap.

getting cut up a joint at a time and stuffed into a crabtrap/hoopnet, or being filletted and used for bait on a jugline seems justifiable to me for the people who steal traps.

there's no wiggle room on this. if it ain't yours go get your own.

that's my quick answer on this. i could prepare something more substansial maybe after hunting season. lol

Dont be shy. Go on and tell us how you really feel.:rotfl:

To my knowledge, there never has been a derelict crab trap program for Calcasieu.
But I agree with the others, don't touch the abandoned traps.
Crabbing is big business, up to $3 per pound for crabs, crabbers can get real nasty if you monkey their stuff.

cool deal don't touch the crab traps...thanks for using the lake as a trash can...

The guy is obviously talking about old abandoned traps. Crabber's also have a responsibility to tend their traps properly. Too many traps abandoned with no floats hiding just under the surface. I've pulled a couple out of my props over the years.

Cut a few off your prop and you'll feel a little differently about abandoned crab traps

Really Ive never heard of anyone being responsible for old traps being left out. If this was enforced this might not be a problem.

The way I see it if the trap does not have a tag or any way to identify the owner then it is derelict and also trash.

Yep. If there is no identifying tag it is the same as trash and you can pick them up. The problem is if it is even remotely useable a crab fisherman will have already picked it up. Crab traps cost over $30.00 earch. If it is just thrown up on the bank it is probably rotten. They rot away under the vinyl coating. I don't pick them up and tell my kids to leave them alone. I personnally would say just go buy you 10 traps put good tags on them and put them out.

The traps you see on the banks are probably from trawlers that caught them in there nets. When I shrimped with my buddies thats what we did if we caught one in the net, just throw it on the bank in the area that they were caught if possible. that way the shrimper can go get it off the bank or when they have the cleanup program we woud go pick them up off the bank and throw them away.

When I had my shrimp boat. I would carry gallon jugs. Open cage throw cage back in water to float away. Lol. Know lots of others did the same thing. We just did not have room to carry them all. Some days I caught over a dozen with no floats on them, some were brand new.

Found 27 with no ropes just now between Pelican pt and Heberts..... go get em before a prop does

It is a Tsunami....all the water is gone....

Are those a bunch of ice chests at the bottom of the pics?

You know how many faces that mud could paint?