Derelict fishing gear negatively impacts marine ecosystems and navigation safety. To combat these problems, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) implemented a cleanup program to remove derelict crab traps and return functional traps to the fishermen when applicable. Since its inception in 1999, the MDMR Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program has removed more than 23,000 derelict crab traps from Mississippi coastal waters. However, the majority of these removals were from the marsh or intertidal areas, as earlier methods and technologies did not allow for effective targeting and removal of subsurface traps. As technology advanced, subsurface removal efforts were expanded to include traditional side-scan sonar and single grappling hooks; however, these methods have limitations and often lack operational efficiency. The incorporation of real-time, forward-facing sonar technology (e.g., Garmin Panoptix LiveScope) has greatly improved efficiency at locating and removing derelict crab traps in subsurface environments. In addition, MDMR staff constructed a custom beam trawl equipped with a series of grappling hooks, increasing retrieval precision compared to previous grappling approaches. Collectively, the integration of updated sonar technology and custom retrieval gear has improved the effectiveness of derelict trap removal efforts, with staff consistently identifying and removing higher numbers of traps. The use of drone surveys to identify derelict gear was also explored; however, this method proved to be cost- and labor- intensive. In addition, traps were detected at lower densities than anticipated and were predominantly located along the marsh edge, where visual boat-based survey techniques are already employed. Future drone surveys may be more effectively utilized during post-hurricane marine debris removal efforts.