Abstract:
There are around one million crab pots in state waters. Each year, through storms, boat props, and other mishaps, 10 percent break loose. Unfortunately, the pots continue catching blue crabs. Between eleven and twenty-five blue crabs die in each loose pot per season, a significant loss to the industry. In 1994, Irene Hooker began work on a crab pot with strings that dissolve after a season. Her work will ultimately cut blue crab losses from loose crab pots.