Since 2004, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, together with individual volunteers and organizations, has successfully removed and disposed of over 41,000 abandoned and derelict crabs. The removal of these crab traps is especially important to boating safety and crab harvesting efforts.

Last year, LDWF, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation members, volunteers, Barataria-Terrebone National Esturary Program, CCA Louisiana, and members of the recreational and commercial fishing community assisted in retrieving more than 4,000 abandoned crab traps.

The efforts and successes of the derelict crab trap program speak for themselves, with the removal of nearly 13,800 derelict traps over the past three years. With the continued success of this program, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and LDWF has scheuled six closure areas in 2020.

At today’s meeting, the LWFC adopted a Notice of Intent allowing the removal of derelict crab traps along Louisiana’s coast in 2020 from the following six areas:

1. The first closure will take place in Lake Pontchartrain, east of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge, from midnight Monday, February 3, 2020, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, February 16, 2020.
2. The second closure will take place in the upper Barataria Basin, in an area from Lafitte to Little Lake, from midnight Monday, February 3, 2020, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, February 16, 2020.
3. The third closure will take place in the Calcasieu Basin, in the lower portion of Calcasieu Lake, from midnight Monday, February 10, 2020, through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, February 19, 2020.
4. The fourth closure will take place in the Vermilion-Teche Basin, in the western portion of Vermilion Bay, from midnight Monday, February 10, 2020, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, February 23, 2020.
5. The fifth closure will take place in the Pontchartrain Basin, Lake Borgne, from midnight Monday, March 2, 2020, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 15, 2020.
6. The sixth closure will take place in the Terrebonne Basin, within an area between Bayou Pointe Auc Chenes and Bayou Terrebonne, from midnight Monday, March 2, 2020, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 15, 2020.

The closure areas are decribed in futher detail below. Maps of the designated closure areas are available here .

1.    Lake Pontchartrain Crab Trap Removal
From a point originating from the intersection of the north bound lane of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge and the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain (30 degrees 01 minutes 13.054 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 09 minutes 15.165 seconds west longitude); thence easterly along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to Chef Menteur Pass (30 degrees 05 minutes 49.10 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 49 minutes 09.54 seconds west longitude); thence southerly along the western shoreline of Chef Menteur Pass to its intersection with U.S. Highway 90 at 30 degrees 03 minutes 59.99 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 48 minutes 19.04 seconds west longitude; thence easterly following the east bound lane of U.S. Highway 90 to its intersection with the north shore of Rigolets Pass (30 degrees 10 minutes 32.08 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 43 minutes 45.66 seconds west longitude); thence westerly following the north shore of Rigolets Pass to its opening at the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain; thence westerly following the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain to its intersection with the north bound lane of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge; thence southerly along the north bound lane of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge to the origin.

2.   Barataria Basin Crab Trap Removal
From a point originating at the intersection of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the northern shore of Hero Canal (29 degrees 48 minutes 12.73 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 04 minutes 09.21 seconds west longitude); thence westerly to a point along the western shore of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at 29 degrees 48 minutes 15.14 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 04 minutes 18.67 seconds west longitude; thence southerly along the western shore of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to a point opposite the western shore of Bayou Perot (29 degrees 40 minutes 56.67 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 11 minutes 36.79 seconds west longitude); thence easterly to a point on the western shore of Bayou Perot at 29 degrees 40 minutes 50.66 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 11 minutes 25.48 seconds west longitude; thence southerly along the western shore of Bayou Perot to Little Lake; thence southerly along the western shore of Little Lake to 29 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 12 minutes 01.497 seconds west longitude; thence eastward along 29 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds north latitude to the eastern shore of Wilkinson Canal (29 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 56 minutes 58.47 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the eastern shore of Wilkinson Canal to its termination; thence northerly to the western shore of the Mississippi River at 29 degrees 38 minutes 24.94 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 57 minutes 1.21 seconds west longitude; thence northerly along the western shore of the Mississippi River to a point easterly of the northern shoreline of Hero Canal (29 degrees 47 minutes 9.60 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 01 minutes 17.77 seconds west longitude); thence westerly to the northern shore of Hero Canal; thence westerly along the northern shore of Hero Canal to the origin.

3.   Calcasieu Basin Crab Trap Removal
From a point originating on the eastern shore of Calcasieu Lake at 29 degrees 56 minutes 30 seconds north latitude, 93 degrees 14 minutes 52.30 seconds west longitude; thence southerly following the eastern and southern shore of Calcasieu Lake to its intersection with the eastern shore of East Pass at 29 degrees 50 minutes 21.904 seconds north latitude, 93 degrees 19 minutes 40.934 seconds west longitude; thence southerly following the eastern shore of East Pass to its intersection with the Calcasieu Ship Channel; then southerly along the eastern shore of the Calcasieu Ship Channel to a point located just north of the Cameron Ferry (29 degrees 48 minutes 14.45 seconds north latitude, 93 degrees 20 minutes 43.75 seconds west longitude); thence west along 29 degrees 48 minutes 14.45 seconds north latitude to a point located north of the Cameron Ferry on the western shore of the Calcasieu Ship Channel (29 degrees 48 minutes 14.45 seconds north latitude, 93 degrees 20 minutes 56.436 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the western shore of the Calcasieu Ship Channel to a point at 29 degrees 56 minutes 30 seconds north latitude, 93 degrees 20 minutes 25.77 seconds west longitude; thence west along 29 degrees 56 minutes 30 seconds north latitude to the origin.

4.   Vermilion-Teche Basin Crab Trap Removal

From a point originating from the intersection of the Acadiana Navigational Channel and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (29 degrees 50 minutes 33.793 seconds north latitude, 91 degrees 50 minutes 26.43 seconds west longitude); thence southwest along the Acadiana Navigational Channel red buoy line to the red navigational marker number 20 (29 degrees 36 minutes 12.551 seconds north latitude, 92 degrees 00 minutes 18.487 seconds west longitude) near the Marsh Island shoreline near Southwest Pass; thence westerly to the Green Light Channel Marker number 21 (29 degrees 36 minutes 44.541 seconds north latitude, 92 degrees 00 minutes 21.808 seconds west longitude); thence westerly to Southwest Point; thence westerly along the southern shore of Vermilion Bay to the eastern shore of Hell Hole; thence southerly along the shore of Hell Hole to its intersection with Hell Hole Bayou; thence westerly to the western shore of Hell Hole; thence northerly along the western shore of Hell Hole to its intersection with the southwestern shore of Vermilion Bay; thence northerly along the southwestern shore of Vermilion Bay to Redfish Point; thence westerly along the shore of Vermilion Bay to its intersection with Freshwater Bayou Canal just past Coles Bayou (29 degrees 44 minutes 54.065 seconds north latitude, 92 degrees 13 minutes 02.277 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the western shore of Freshwater Bayou Canal to its intersection with the northern shore of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; thence easterly along the northern shore of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the origin.

5.   Pontchartrain Basin Crab Trap Removal

From a point originating at the intersection of the Mississippi/Louisiana state line and U.S. Highway 90 (30 degrees 14 minutes 20.816 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 36 minutes 53.218 seconds west longitude); thence westerly along U.S. Highway 90 to its intersection with the western shore of Chef Menteur Pass; thence southerly on the western shore of Chef Menteur Pass to its intersection with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; thence westerly on the northern shore of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to its intersection with the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lake Borgne Surge Barrier ( 30 degrees 00 minutes 53.88 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 54 minutes 06.13 seconds west longitude) ; thence southerly along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lake Borgne Surge Barrier to the western shore of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet ( 29 degrees 59 minutes 39.183 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 54 minutes 29.09 seconds west longitude) , thence southerly along the western shore of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet to its intersection with the western shore of the Shell Beach Canal; thence southerly along the western shore of the Shell Beach Canal to a point at 29 degrees 51 minutes 13.28 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 40 minutes 47.54 seconds west longitude; thence easterly to a point on the eastern shore of the Shell Beach Canal (29 degrees 51 minutes 12.82 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 40 minutes 45.80 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the eastern shore of the Shell Beach Canal to its intersection with the western shore of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet; thence northerly to a point located on the eastern shore of the Shell Beach Cut; thence northerly along the eastern shore of the Shell Beach Cut to a point located at its intersection with the southern shore of Lake Borgne; thence easterly and northerly along the south and east shore of Lake Borgne to Malhereux Point ( 30 degrees 04 minutes 41.392 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 29 minutes 02.000 seconds west longitude) ; thence northerly to a point on the Mississippi/Louisiana state line (30 degrees 09 minutes 45.844 seconds north latitude, 89 degrees 29 minutes 02.000 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the Mississippi/Louisiana state line to the origin.

6.   Terrebonne Basin Crab Trap Removal

From a point originating along the western shore of Bayou Pointe Aux Chenes (29 degrees 25 minutes 59.26 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 27 minutes 31.39 seconds west longitude) near the intersection of Lower U.S. Highway 665 and Island Road; thence westerly to the south bound lane of Island Road; thence southerly along the south bound lane of Island Road to its intersection with the western boundary of the Pointe Aux Chenes Unit of the Pointe Aux Chenes Wildlife Management Area (29 degrees 24 minutes 25.774 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 29 minutes 28.429 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the western boundary of the Pointe Aux Chenes Unit of the Pointe Aux Chenes Wildlife Management Area to its intersection with the southern boundary of the Montegut Unit of the Pointe Aux Chenes Wildlife Management Area (29 degrees 25 minutes 20.378 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 29 minutes 58.29 seconds west longitude);   thence westerly along the southern boundary of the Montegut Unit of the Pointe Aux Chenes Wildlife Management Area to its southwestern most point located on the eastern shore of the Humble Canal (29 degrees 25 minutes 51.125 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 33 minutes 31.885 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the eastern shore of the Humble Canal to its intersection with Bayou Terrebonne (29 degrees 26 minutes 17.702 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 34 minutes 00.193 seconds west longitude); thence westerly to a point located on the western shore of Bayou Terrebonne at 29 degrees 26 minutes 17.66 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 34 minutes 02.751 seconds west longitude; thence southerly along the western shore of Bayou Terrebonne to its intersection with Bush Canal (29 degrees 22 minutes 07.156 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 36 minutes 05.437 seconds west longitude); thence westerly along the northern shore of Bush Canal to its intersection with Bayou Little Caillou (29 degrees 22 minutes 52.495 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 37 minutes 14.931 seconds west longitude); thence southerly along the western shore of Bayou Little Caillou to 29 degrees 17 minutes 00 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 38 minutes 41.401 seconds west longitude; thence east along 29 degrees 17 minutes 00 seconds north latitude to the western shore of Bayou Pointe Aux Chenes (29 degrees 17 minutes 00 seconds north latitude, 90 degrees 23 minutes 00.507 seconds west longitude); thence northerly along the western shore of Bayou Pointe Aux Chenes to the origin.

All crab traps remaining in the closed area during the specified period will be considered abandoned.

In the weeks leading up to the closure, LDWF will mail notices to all licensed commercial crab trap license holders and crab buyers within affected parishes as well as non-resident licensed crab fishermen who landed blue crab within the previous year from Louisiana waters.

These proposed trap removal regulations do not provide authorization for access to private property, which can only be provided by individual landowners.

Crab traps may be removed only between one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. Only LDWF or those designated by LDWF will be authorized to remove derelict crab traps in the closure areas. Abandoned traps must be brought to LDWF designated disposal sites and may not be taken from the closed area.

Interested persons may submit written comments relative to the proposed rule to Peyton Cagle, Marine Fisheries Biologist DCL-B, Marine Fisheries Section, 1213 N. Lakeshore Dr., Lake Charles, LA 70601, or via email to [email protected] prior to September 16, 2019.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us atwww.wlf.la.gov. To receive email alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.