• If you see ads here, log in and they will disappear. If you need help logging in or getting registered, send request to: webmaster@southernairboat.com

FAA derelict crab trap removal on Tampa Bay

D

Daddy Dave

Well-known member
Hey Gang....Wanna Help??

We are thrilled the Florida Airboat Association will be assisting again with the Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program in 2006!

Tampa Bay Watch and the Derelict Crab Trap Steering Committee have scheduled a derelict trap removal event for next Monday, February 27th from 9 am to about 1 pm. The targeted area includes Mobbley Bay east to Sweetwater Creek/Rocky Point area—to pick up and then dispose of derelict crab traps.

We will meet at 9 am Monday, February 27 at the Courtney Campbell Boat Ramp (HWY. 60 between Tampa Airport and Clearwater)—on the north side of the Bridge and be done by 1 pm.

I’m emailing to confirm how many of you will be participating in Monday’s event. You all have generously provided your airboats and support for almost all of our trap removal events and we certainly appreciate your partnership that ensures this Program’s success.

My plan is to have the airboats target the flats (the tide will be nice and low) and then other skiffs/boats will stay in the channel to off-load traps from the airboats and transport the traps to the boat ramp for disposal.

I’ll need a couple of things from you:

Your FL # of your boat - if they have changed since Jan-05

Your phone # (cell if you have one)

How many folks you can take on your boat.

Please don’t hesitate to call should you have any questions. I’m here in the office all week, and my cell is 813-748-7459.

FYI – I’ve also scheduled an event for Friday, March 10 for the Alafia River. Same area—there are more traps. This one will be 7 am to noon. Interested?

Hope to see you soon! --

Wendy

Wendy F. Valle, Environmental Scientist
Tampa Bay Watch, Inc.
3000 Pinellas Bayway S.
Tierra Verde, FL 33715

T: 727-867-8166 F: 727-867-8188
wvalle@tampabaywatch.org
http://www.tampabaywatch.org/
 
Folks,

Appreciate the help. If you volunteer, please wear your PFD's & have all aboard wear PFD's. There very well could be media coverage and we wish to have our best side published..........besides, if you look fat for a picture (like me) you can blame it on the PFD!
Thanks,
PW
 
How'd the clean up go? Wish I could have been there but Monday's mean back to work. I suppose they choose do that on a Monday for just that reason, less people on the water.
 
Four FAA boats showed up and one HCSO airboat participated as well.

HarryTFirefighter, Gatorstick, BigDaddy and CaptGreg participated with their personal airboats; JL242 (HamantThunder in waiting) was along to assist HarryT.

Volunteers and staff from Tampa Bay Watch, NOAA, Tampa Bay Estuary Program and Ocean Conservancy provided femanual labor. There was an outstanding lunch provided by Tampa Bay Watch after the effort.

The four airboats and crews gathered more than one hundred derelict crabtraps - many loaded with crabs and some with a turtle or two - and cleansed about 3 miles of shoreline along the northern end of Tampa Bay from Rocky Point to Safety Harbor.

WFLA News anchor Bob Hite was on hand to take broadcast video of the event.

We are hoping for a stronger FAA turnout on Friday March 10 on the Alafia River at US 41.
 
WOW!!!

116 traps from those waters!

An extra big thank you to everyone involved in Monday’s extravaganza.

I was hoping we would get maybe 50-75 traps----you far exceeded my expectations! Great job, everyone.

At first blush, you rescued 38 stone and blue crabs (not including all of those juvenile crabs) and at least 20 dead crabs (by-catch ) were documented. One dead diamond-backed terrapin turtle was reported. L

In the spirit of the upcoming Academy Awards, I would like to thank:

The Florida Airboat Association, including Greg Abbott, Dave Markett, John Shirah, Phil Walters, and Harry Young for providing support and your airboats.

Thank you to Troy Durrance of the Hillsborough County Sheriff Marine Unit for his participation and airboat.

NOAA Fisheries: thank you to Daphne Macfarlan, Sean Meehan and Tom Moore for your help and to your boat for being a “mule” to bring in the traps!

I also want to thank the Academy (OK---the Derelict Crab Trap Steering Committee), including Jessica Koelsch with the Ocean Conservancy, Nanette Holland and Lindsay Cross with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, and my fellow Tampa Bay Watchers – Peter Clark, Martha Garcia and Jamie Cataldo.

To our newest “Ghostbusters”--- Frank Piccone (he had previously scouted the area for traps), Vic Manella (a ‘drive-by’ volunteer that I ‘trapped’ into helping out), Deborah Young with the City of Tampa Parks and Rec (thank you for the use of the Boat Ramp—she got ‘trapped’ too!), and Cliff Amundsen with Hillsborough County’s Anti-Litter Program.

I also want to thank Brad Ware and Lance Curry who could not be there—Lance GPS’d location of traps & Brad took Jessica & I out on a scouting mission. As always, thank you to FWCC’s Division of Marine Fisheries – Juli Dodson, who permits us to save all of that marine life (and boat props!).

Cliff—many, thanks to you and to Waste Management for the donated dumpster and for covering the disposal fees. We truly appreciate HC’s continued generosity that ensures this Program’s success. Thank you also to Smokey Joe’s for providing an outstanding lunch.

Thank you, Bob Hite, for covering our first event for 2007, and for flying Peter around the area to view the traps from the air. We are looking forward to viewing the piece on Channel 8.

My time is up, I hear the music…thank you to anyone I have not mentioned….

I will close with another thank you and to ask to be on the lookout for the March 10th announcement for the Alafia River area cleanup. ---Wendy


Wendy F. Valle, Environmental Scientist

Tampa Bay Watch, Inc.

3000 Pinellas Bayway S.

Tierra Verde, FL 33715


T: 727-867-8166 F: 727-867-8188

wvalle@tampabaywatch.org

http://www.tampabaywatch.org/
 
Keep supplying baby back ribs and pulled pork, I'll keep supplying as many crab traps as I can pull.
 
Hey BigDaddy how was the turnout of skiffs and bay boats to return the traps to the boat ramp that were picked up from the flats by the airboats? My airboat is 12x7 and not set up for salt water but I also have a 22 Whaler that could be loaded up with a bunch of traps. Is this something that could help out on future trap removals?
 
I'm sure BigDaddy would welcome the sight of another boat, especially one that big. Most of the airboats would get over loaded quickly. The retrieval boat couldn't keep up with all the traps that we were pulling. To have another boat to offload traps on would be great. The next trap removal if I'm not mistaken is going to be on the Alafia River at the 301 Boat ramp.
 
Folks,
Last year folks driving by stopped to thank us for pulling the traps. Great event! Make it if you can. If you are a past partisipant, they already have your Fl #'s.
PW
**********************************************

Hello fellow Derelict Crab Trappers---

There are derelict crab traps out there for the pickin’ out on the Alafia River, Archie Creek, Bull Frog Creek and The Kitchen. That’s a pretty large area, so I’m looking for some boats and folks willing to work bright and early on Friday morning, March 10.
Come on, how about it? I’ve attached directions to the boat ramp and an image of the area we will be working in.

SWFWMD and Fish and Wildlife and a couple of others have pony-ed up some flats boats and airboats, but I’ll need a few more airboats and shallow water vessels. I could even use 1-2 more canoes and/or jon boats.

If you don’t have a boat, I still need hands on deck and shore. Bring shoes and wear clothing you don’t mind getting dirty and wet….

Meet at Williams Park Boat Ramp at 7 am and finish by ~12 pm…
Yes, yes….early, I know. Think of it as starting your weekend early…

There will be wings and pizza waiting for you if you come back with traps�derelict traps. J

RSVP Info I need�please and thanks:

What kind of boat

The FL # on your boat

Your cell number

Are you bringing a date/deckhand?

Many thanks�I look forward to seeing everyone! ---Wendy

PS�On Monday, we pulled 116 traps from the waters north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Thank you to those who participated�and to the Florida Airboat Association and Hillsborough County Sheriff Marine Unit for the airboats. Hope to see you guys on the 10th!


Wendy F. Valle, Environmental Scientist

Tampa Bay Watch, Inc.

3000 Pinellas Bayway S.

Tierra Verde, FL 33715

T: 727-867-8166 F: 727-867-8188

wvalle@tampabaywatch.org

http://www.tampabaywatch.org
 
One of the biggest issues is having shallow draft boats to transfer traps out of the airboats and then to ferry them back to the ramp. My airboat is about the same as yours - smallish for this - but, we do the best we can.
 
There is another Tampa Bay derelict crab trap removal effort set for tomorrow - Friday, 10 March 2006 - at the launch ramp at US 41 and Alafia River in Gibsonton. Any and all airboat help would be greatly appreciated. Please advise if you can assist. Free food & drink.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top