Even before that happens, the bait gets old, and the gear quits fishing. Experience proves all of the above. These things have long been found to be the truth of the matter. What has changed???
This is in addition to permanently affixed escape rings of such a size that will allow under size crabs to escape --- which includes pretty much ALL the female crabs, as they are not allowed to be landed regardless. Since males of a certain number of years old get much bigger than the females of any age, it was simple (and good practice) to have such sized escape rings. It goes a very long way to keep the fishery safe from so-called "over fishing". The crabs will also sort themselves for size, on longer "soaks".
In fact, in regards to Dungeness, it's pretty well IMPOSSIBLE to "over fish" them with the legal gear in use today.
When I crabbed in the Bering years ago, there was LAW there too, that a certain minimum length of cotton twine be used in the seizings. I know this well enough, for I used to "web" king crab pots on land, in addition to working the deck during the season.
This "ghost fishing" in regards to Dungeness post is nothing much more than re-application of fisheries management (read enviro-fascist PRESERVATIONISTS) media release PR to help pave the way for ever more total closures, and help justify the draconian ones currently being implemented.
If they are having trouble on the East Coast with lobster pots, FIX IT OVER THERE, dammit!
They just announced yet another closure area off the Sonoma Coast, to take effect next year(?) right where I crabbed last winter. With Salmon fishing being totally closed State wide for two years, there wasn't much any other fishing there. Less than a dozen small vessels (6-7) worked the area crabbing...but they closed the area to ALL fishing, including the well thought out, well managed & relatively benign harvesting of male-only Dungeness crabs, once they reached a certain size.
Even if all the large males where to be caught (which won't happen), there would be PLENTY enough of the small ones left to do the breeding. It's been like this FOR YEARS!
What are these ninnys talking about? Fear, fear, fear...
I don’t know anything about cold water traps, just the lobster (longusta spiny lobsters) traps in the FL Keys and Bahamas.
No “escape” hatches tied with string. In the Bahamas those rubber-dipped galvy cages were the WORST. Perpetual killing machines when they are lost. Saw it with my own eyes a hundred times.