Stuck pot, Tight line

[localboy]

so we don't want to get too carried away trying to save a $100 pot with a $50k boat.

I would think that the bigger issue should be that an abandoned pot will continue to catch crabs that will never be harvested...

I know nothing about crab traps, but Maine lobster regs require an escape door with a fastener that quickly corrodes...is that how it's done in you area, or does the abandoned trap continue to attract and kill crabs for all eternity, with the latest one acting as bait for the next one?

Karl, I didn't write that, Tyboo Mike did. That said, the PNW pots have bio-degradable exits built in, usually cotton twine, that is mandatory by regs. The twine rots away pretty quickly so any crabs that do enter can get out, eventually. Probably similiar to your neck of the woods. They are still considered "ghost" traps, but at least they no longer kill indiscriminately.