Photo by caroline.angelo

The Chesapeake has seen better, much better, days, but lately both man and mother nature has given ol’ Chessie quite the beating. According to Virginia state officials, the Chesapeake waterways have been beset by “ghost pots,” the abandoned and errant wire crab traps long lost from their crabbers. Officials announced Friday that more than 10,000 ghost pots had been collected during a winter-long program to clean up the bay this year. 28,000 pots have been removed from the bay since the program’s inception three years ago.

The effort provides a symbiotic relationship between the crab conservationists and the watermen who rely on a flourishing crab population. In addition to cleaning up the waterways, the state employed more than 70 watermen, whose crab harvest season is put on hiatus during the winter. On top of that, this winter’s harsh cold snap killed off a third of the crab population. In all, approximately $1 million from federal blue crab disaster funds was spent to replace the lost income.

For such a relatively cheap price, this is a beneficial trifecta for the Chesapeake. Work for our fishermen, less bay clutter, more crabs for the summer: I’d say this is #winning.