http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/News/Pages/Crab-pots-left-in-the-water-for-winter-removed-from-Inland-Bays-during-Jan--29-cleanup.aspxCrab pots left in the water for winter removed from Inland Bays during Jan. 29 cleanup INLAND BAYS (Feb. 2, 2012) – The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement partnered with The Center for the Inland Bays on a cleanup of the Inland Bays in Sussex County on Jan. 29 that netted more than 70 crab pots left in the water for the winter.
“Under Delaware law, all recreational crab pots must be out of the water between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28,” said Sgt. Gregory Rhodes, Fish and Wildlife Enforcement. “Among other problems, abandoned crab pots can pose serious navigational hazards to passing vessels, such as entanglement with engine props.”
“Crab pots need to be removed when not in active use, because derelict pots can entrap marine life other than crabs, such as the diamondback terrapin, a native turtle that makes its home in the Inland Bays,” said E.J. Chalabala, Center for the Inland Bays.
During the cleanup, a total of eight boats and 21 volunteers from the DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation and Fish and Wildlife, Dewey Beach Lions Club and community volunteers all pitched in to rid the Inland Bays of abandoned crab pots and miscellaneous trash. The pots and trash were collected and taken to Massey’s Landing for proper disposal.
For more information about future cleanups, including the Inland Bays Cleanup in June, please contact Sgt. Gregory Rhodes, Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, at 302-739-9913, or E.J. Chalabala, Center for the Inland Bays, 302-226-8105.
