Transcript Commercial and Recreational Crabbing Overview, By Cristopher M

Marine Resources Division Enforcement Section
Primary responsibility is the enforcement of state and
federal saltwater fishing laws and regulations
Crabbing
Commercial Crabbing
A commercial license is required to take crabs for
commercial purposes or to use more than five traps.
Blue crabs must measure five inches from point to point
across the back.
Each commercial crab trap shall be marked with a buoy or
float at least 6 inches in diameter. Each buoy shall be marked
with the fisherman’s identification number.
Traps can only be worked or removed from one hour before
sunrise to sunset of each day.
Traps shall not exceed 27 cubic feet in volume.
Commercial shrimp boats can take up to five gallons of legal
sized crabs in waters open to shrimping.
Commercial Crabbing - Continued
It is unlawful to set or place crab traps in any waters of the
Mobile Delta north of Interstate Highway 10 and/or State
Highway 90 Battleship Parkway (whichever is the southern
most highway).
It is unlawful to set or place crab traps within 300 feet of any
navigational channel marked by a lawfully established system
of waterway markers or within 300 feet of any public boat
launching ramp or public pier, Heron Bay Cutoff, or the mouth
of West Fowl River, Weeks Bay, Fish River, Magnolia River,
any man-made canal, or in any manner to prevent the ingress
or egress to or from any pier, wharf, dock, marina, or boat
launching ramp.
It is unlawful to set or place any commercial crab traps
in the following rivers, creeks, bayous, bays, canals, or
their tributaries:
Mobile County
Mobile River
Dog River
Theodore Industrial Canal
Northwest arm of Heron Bay
Heron Bayou
Bayou Coden
Bayou La Batre
All man-made canals at
Dauphin Island
Baldwin County
Fly Creek
Blakeley River
Magnolia River
Bon Secour River *
Wolf Creek
Sandy Creek
Miflin Creek
Hammock Creek
Roberts Bayou
Soldier Creek
Palmetto Creek
Old River*
Exceptions: Only prohibited north of channel markers 7&8
in Bon Secour River.
Only prohibited between Ono Island and Perdido Key in Old
River.
Recreational Crabbing
•Individuals can use up to five traps.
•Blue crabs must measure five inches from point to point
across the back.
•Recreational shrimpers can keep one gallon of crabs from a
designated bait area (exempt from minimum size limit for use
as bait), and five gallons of legal size crabs from waters open
to commercial shrimping.
•Traps shall not exceed 27 cubic feet in volume.
Recreational traps must be marked with a buoy or float at least
six inches in diameter. These floats must be colored orange
and marked with the letter “R” at least two inches high.
•It is unlawful to set or place crab traps in any waters of the
Mobile Delta north of I Interstate Highway 10 and/or State
Highway 90 Battleship Parkway (whichever is the southern
most highway).
Recreational Crabbing - Continued
•It is unlawful to set or place crab traps within 300 feet of any
navigational channel marked by a lawfully established system of
waterway markers or within 300 feet of any public boat launching
ramp or public pier, Heron Bay Cutoff, or the mouth of West Fowl
River, Weeks Bay, Fish River, Magnolia River, any man-made
canal, or in any manner to prevent the ingress or egress to or
from any pier, wharf, dock, marina, or boat launching ramp.
•The following conditions must be met for recreational crab traps
to be set in the areas listed as closed to commercial crabbing:
(1)Traps must be physically attached by a line to a pier,
dock, bulkhead, boathouse, or other structure, on or attached to
the shore.
(2) The line shall allow the trap to be placed at a
distance no greater than 10 feet from the pier, dock, boathouse,
or shoreline.
(3) No more than five traps are allowed per property.
METHODS OF REPORTING
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(except on State holidays)
Mobile County:
(251) 861-2882
Baldwin County: (251) 968-7576 or
(251) 968-7577
On weekends and at night:
(251) 476-1256
METHODS OF REPORTING
via Text Message
To report a saltwater fishing violation, anyone
with a cell phone can now text the keyword
“COASTWATCH” to the number 847411.
Please include as much detail as possible when
reporting a violation such as: the name and
description of the suspects, vehicle or boat
description,
license
plate
number,
boat
registration number, clothing description, time
of your observation, and the area where the
violation occurred.
Technology Initiative
*E-citations
*COORS
*Remote Monitoring
Contact Information
Major Christopher M. Blankenship
Chief Enforcement Officer
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Marine Resources Division
P O Box 189
Dauphin Island, AL 36528
Cellular Phone Number:
251-709-5889
Office Phone Number:
251-861-2882
Office Fax Number:
251-861-8741
Email Address: [email protected]