USING AN ROV TO REMOVE LOST CRAB POTS
The Jefferson County MRC and the Sea Dragons are working collaboratively to develop a new method for recovering lost crab pots in the Salish Sea. The Sea Dragons is a student-run underwater robotics team focused on designing and operating submersible remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The goal of this partnership is to remove lost crab pots from our local waters, as well as to demonstrate how ROVs can serve as a lower cost and community-driven crab pot recovery method. In 2022, the MRC and Sea Dragons piloted the use of an ROV for removing derelict crab pots. Pots were first located using side scan sonar surveys in Discovery Bay, near Adelma Beach and between the Cape George Marina and Beckett Point, where over one hundred crab pots were detected. With a short on-the-water work schedule, the team successfully relocated six lost crab pots and recovered three. In 2023, the team focused its efforts on Port Townsend Bay, recovering 17 pots while providing learning opportunities for new robotics students and building partnerships across the Salish Sea.
-- See the project StoryMap here
-- See the 2022 project summary report here
-- Read local coverage of the project here