Test results for new pop-up crab traps could boost approval chances for mass use along CA coast

"When we caught up with crab fisherman Brand Little a few months back, he was unloading an unusual late spring catch. Unusual, because the season has been essentially cut short for the last several years, to protect migrating whales and sea turtles from being entangled in the vertical ropes that float above the crab traps. But this load was caught with a different kind of device, known as a rope-less or pop-up trap."

"Little was part of a large-scale test, involving boats from San Francisco and up and down the coast. And supporters believe the results could be a turning point for the industry. Geoff Shester, Ph.D., is with the nonprofit group Oceana. 'So this was the first season that the Fish and Game Commission allowed fishermen to use their full: a number of traps and up to 50 traps on a single string, and that string would have a pop-up unit at each end,' Shester said."

"After they're set out on the ocean floor, fisherman can relocate them using an onboard GPS tracker. The push of a button releases a pop-up float that carries the rope to the surface, letting the crew haul in the traps. Boats made 123 trips and deployed more than 25,000 traps. Oceana says the retrieval system had a 98% reliability rate."

Rope-less or pop-up crab traps were tested in a large-scale trial involving boats from San Francisco and along the coast. Fishermen deploy traps on the ocean floor and mark locations with onboard GPS, then remotely release a pop-up float that carries the retrieval rope to the surface for hauling. Boats made 123 trips and deployed over 25,000 traps during the test, and the retrieval system demonstrated 98% reliability. The Fish and Game Commission permitted up to 50 traps on a single string with pop-up units at each end. The technology aims to reduce vertical rope entanglements with migrating whales and sea turtles and extend the Dungeness season.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco