ANNAPOLIS, MD. — Maryland natural resources officials say watermen have pulled nearly 1,500 ghost crab pots from three rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay.

The lost or abandoned traps can kill crabs and fish that get caught in them and were collected under a program to help watermen hurt by the decline of the blue crab fishery.

More than 360 watermen are involved in the program run by the Department Natural Resources and the Oyster Recovery Partnership. The traps were removed from the West, Patuxent and Patapsco Rivers.

State officials say thousands of ghost pots are estimated to be in the bay, most lost due to storms or when their lines are cut by passing boats. Once lost, state officials say the traps can last about two years in saltwater.

Associated Press
03/04/10 12:10 PM PST