The North Carolina Coastal Federation is putting out a call for commercial fishers to join the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project taking place in January.
An effort in place since 2014, the nonprofit organization hires commercial fishers to collect crab pots during the annual closure Jan. 1-31 of internal coastal waters north and east of the Highway 58 bridge over Bogue Sound to Emerald Isle to all crab, eel, fish, and shrimp pots.
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Commercial watermen and women along the northern and central coast are invited to submit an application through the organization’s website until Dec. 12. Captains must have a valid North Carolina standard commercial fishing license.
The project is scheduled to take place in the southeast region during the closure from March 1 to 15. A call for applicants will go out early next year.
“Every year, crab pots and other fishing gear are lost in our sounds in a variety of ways. Lost gear can get hung up or drift into channels, creating serious hazards for boaters, wildlife, and fishermen,” the organization said in a release.
In partnership with North Carolina Marine Patrol, 2,136 pots were removed in 2025 from select areas on the coast.
The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.
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