Virginia Removal Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (Virginia; ongoing)

Building on the success of the Virginia Marine Debris Removal Program, these removal efforts will continue to employ local Virginia commercial fishers, colloquially referred to as ‘watermen’, to target hotspot areas of derelict traps in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay, providing valuable information on the rate of trap accumulation in active blue crab fishery areas and the economic and ecological impacts of the discarded gear.