Gulf Guardian Award Winners 2003

1: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources employees Rudy Balius, left, maneuvers a boat to help Buddy Goff, center, and Doug Drieling remove a derelict crab traps from the West Pascagoula River on Jan. 25, 2003. A total of 553 abandoned traps were recovered during Mississippi's first volunteer Derelict Crab Trap Cleanup Day.

2: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources fisheries biologist Bill Richardson collects derelict crab traps west of the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge on Jan. 22, 2003, the second day of Mississippi's derelict crab trap cleanup. More than 1,400 abandoned crab traps were picked up by the DMR, Gulf Coast Research Lab and volunteers during Mississippi's first closed crab trap season. The season opened on Jan. 26.