ORIENTAL, N.C. — Many fishermen lose a percentage of their crab pots throughout the year due to storms and other circumstances, and the North Carolina Coastal Federation organizes the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery program every January to clear the water of these lost crab pots.
What You Need to Know
The N.C. Coastal Federation organizes the lost fishing gear recovery program every year
The program clears the water of lost crab pots that can trap wildlife and pollute the water
They have 24 crews and expect to collect over 3,000 lost crab pots
The program gives fishermen a week of work during the slow fishing season
Keith Bruno is a local fisherman on the North Carolina coast. He collects flounder, shrimp, crabs and other seafood for his business, Endurance Seafood. Bruno spends a week every January searching the water for lost crab pots during the slow season when certain fisheries are closed.
“You really never know where you're gonna see them,” Bruno said as he steered his boat into the harbor. “Sometimes when they're in the marsh right there and the grass is kind of growing through them, they can be very very difficult to spot.”
Every year the North Carolina Coastal Federation hires crews of local fishermen and women to collect lost crab pots that are polluting the environment. If they are left in the water, they can keep trapping and killing the wildlife.
“It's a wonderful thing to be a part of that and be able to keep water clean, and to do something that makes sure my future stays bright and viable,” Bruno said.
Bruno has been a part of the Fishing Gear Recovery program for seven years and collects a few hundred lost pots every season. If the pots belong to someone Bruno knows, he can give them a call and return it. Otherwise they are recycled.
“Physically you can't see the difference,” Bruno said. “But boy, if you could see the mound of three or four thousand crab pots that aren't in the water anymore, you know you've done something. You know you've done something good.”
Bruno says it's a win, win, win program. Fishermen get their crab pots back. Bruno gets a paycheck, and the Coastal Federation helps keep the waters clean.
“I'd like to say I would do it for nothing to work with the people at the Coastal Federation,” Bruno said. “But the money sure helps. It brings together the lean ends in a lean time during the winter.”
The Coastal Federation started this program in 2014 in northeast North Carolina. It was such a success that it traveled down the coast to the central coast as well. Each crew collects data from the pots on where they are found, their condition and what kind of wildlife is in them.
Rachel Bisesi is the coastal education coordinator for the N.C. Coastal Federation.
“It means a lot to us, because at the Coastal Federation, one of our taglines is working together for a healthy coast,” Bisesi said. “And one way that we can help keep our waters clean and healthy is by partnering with a lot of groups and people.”
This year there are 24 crews along the coast. They have already collected over 800 pots, but the Coastal Federation estimates that they will collect more than 3,000 pots by the end of January.