The second round of funding from the National Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment and Prevention (TRAP) Program has been announced, with William & Mary“s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) distributing $1.8 million to support thirteen projects dedicated to eliminating derelict fishing gear from coastal waters.
These ghost traps, remnants of lost fishing equipment, pose severe risks to marine life and ecosystems. The funding aims to tackle this haunting issue, which affects marine biodiversity and the fishing industry, generating revenue exceeding $1 billion annually in the United States alone.
Each year, traps are lost due to various factors, including interactions with vessels, adverse weather, and natural degradation. Although these traps become inaccessible for fishermen, they continue to catch and kill marine species, harming habitats and reducing fishery yields. A 2016 study indicated that removing just ten percent of derelict crab pots and lobster traps could increase global landings by $831 million annually.
This year marks the continuation of efforts under the TRAP Program, which received an $8 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program. The initiative not only funds regional cleanup efforts but also establishes a national database to assess the environmental and economic impacts of these removal activities, which will guide future policy decisions.
In its inaugural funding cycle, the TRAP Program allocated over $1.4 million to eleven projects, resulting in the removal of over 7,000 ghost traps, equating to more than 300,000 pounds of debris. Ongoing projects include additional removals, particularly in Louisiana, which are set to commence in February.
According to Kirk Havens, director of the Batten School & VIMS Center for Coastal Resources Management, “We are thrilled with the initial results from our inaugural TRAP Program recipients. Their success is a testament to the impact that locally-designed solutions can have on global issues.” He noted that the new recipients have shown similar creativity and community involvement in their project proposals.
The upcoming $1.8 million funding will be allocated among projects in states including Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, Washington, and California. The projects aim to remove over 8,000 ghost traps while creating approximately 195 jobs, primarily for commercial fishers. Cleanup efforts are scheduled to begin in January 2026, with funding recipients required to submit standardized progress data.
The collected data will be analyzed by the Policy Innovation Lab, a collaboration between the Batten School & VIMS and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. This analysis aims to identify factors contributing to the abundance of derelict traps and other ecological and economic variables, ultimately informing state and federal policy recommendations for better prevention and mitigation strategies.
For more information about the National TRAP Program and statistics on first-round projects, visit their official website.
The following projects have received funding through a competitive grant process:
- Hill Fisheries LTD: $148,622 for removing abandoned lobster traps in Massachusetts, addressing declining lobster catch rates.
- Benioff Ocean Science Lab: $116,433 to locate and remove lost spiny lobster traps in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources: $125,493 for addressing ghost blue crab traps in various estuarine areas.
- Ocean Aid 360: $150,000 to engage commercial fishers in detecting and removing derelict traps in the Florida Keys.
- Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation: $133,172 for removing ghost lobster traps in Narragansett Bay.
- Tolowa Dee-ni” Nation: $140,448 for cleaning up derelict crab traps from Northern California coastal areas.
- Oyster Recovery Partnership: $147,571 for targeting derelict blue crab traps in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory: $149,168 for removing derelict blue crab traps in New Jersey and promoting recycling strategies.
- Northwest Straits Foundation: $150,000 for a crab trap removal project in Washington state.
- OceansWide: $135,751 to locate and remove discarded fishing gear in Midcoast Maine.
- City of Beverly, Massachusetts: $124,700 for removing derelict lobster traps using SCUBA methods.
- National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: $146,553 for removing traps in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
- Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation: $149,980 to document and address the impacts of derelict fishing gear in rural Maine waterways.
