Crab traps do not experience high bycatch mortality and allow for live catch with minimal waste. Stone crab, sheepshead, Gulf toadfish, black drum, southern flounder, hardhead catfish, red drum, and pinfish are some of the more common bycatch species found in traps (Derelict Trap Task Force 2008). Stone crab may be utilized for its claw and then returned to the water alive (see Appendix A for stone crab claw regulations). Blue crab fishermen in Texas are allowed to retain legal-sized incidental catch within recreational limits for each species, and finfish species are typically either utilized or still alive when released (Morris 2003). Studies in Louisiana and Mississippi found bycatch rates and mortality to be too low to present risk to the populations of bycatch species (Bourgeois, Marx, and Semon 2014), Graham et. al. 2012)
Commercial fishermen cannot retain crabs smaller than five-inch carapace width (2014-2015 Commercial Fishing Guide). Traps are relatively size-selective and target a limited size range due to the diameter of trap funnels. TPWD requires a minimum of two escape vents in each crab retaining chamber that are at least 2-3/8 inches in diameter. A degradable panel is also required in crab traps to reduce bycatch of sublegal crabs and non-target species, and minimize impacts of lost or abandoned gear (31 T.A.C. §57.973 Devices, Means, and Methods, 2014-2015 Commercial Fishing Guide).
