Derelict Gear in Puget Sound
Decades of thriving commercial and recreational fisheries in Puget Sound have left tons of old fishing gear behind. The Northwest Straits Initiative works to survey and remove lost fishing gear.
Thousands of old crab pots litter the seafloor and thousands of nets are caught in rocky outcroppings and draped along waterways. Bad weather, mechanical failures and human error have caused fishermen to lose or abandon their fishing gear. Gillnets and crab pots (commercial and sport) can continue to fish long after the original owners have gone. The result is wasted seafood and needless damage to marine resources and habitat. For more tips and information about crab fishing visit www.escapecord.org.
Current Activities
For the week of August 23, through August 29, the F/V Bet-Sea, operated by Doug Monk, worked out of Cornet Bay on nets off of San Juan Island, Lopez Island and Lawson Reef. The R/V Surveyor II, operated by Crayton Fenn, worked out of Friday Harbor on nets at Salmon Bank. Combined, the two boats completed 9.0 days of removal operations. Each boat can typically remove 3-4 nets in one day, restoring approximately 2/3 of one acre of habitat.
This week, a strong storm approaching Puget Sound on Monday evening will effect work schedules. The Bet-Sea will continue to operate out of Cornet Bay on Salmon Bank and Lopez Island and the Surveyor II will be operating out of Friday Harbor on nets in the San Juan Islands, beginning Wednesday, weather permitting. The F/V Twila Dawn, operated by Nisqually Aquatic Technologies, will begin operating Wednesday out of Shilshole Bay on nets at Jefferson Head and Apple Cove Point. The F/V Tenacious, operated by Santman Diving Services, has completed its contract under the ARRA project, but will operate out of Blaine at Point Roberts using other Northwest Straits Foundation funding, beginning Wednesday, weather permitting.
Click here to read a May 18 USA Today story about the project.
Click here to watch the NBC Nightly News coverage of the derelict gear removal project, aired September 29. To view additional footage of Lee Cowan’s visit to the derelict gear team, click here, or go to the video gallery.
Click here to read an August 24 New York Times article about this project.
Click here to read the NOAA Marine Debris blog.
Fall Fundraiser T-Shirt Sales
Support the Derelict Gear Removal Project by purchasing a T-shirt with Ray Troll’s contemporary 'No Net Loss' design. By wearing one of these, you’ll be helping to increase awareness of the problem and the solution. Click here for apparel specifications and an order form.
Our Goal
With American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, the Northwest Straits Initiative is committed to removing 3,000 legacy derelict nets by December, 2010.
Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, authorized by Congress, is nationally recognized as an innovative approach to bring sound science and an ecosystem perspective together with citizen energy and entrepreneurship. The Northwest Straits Foundation is a non-profit organization established to support the scientific, restoration, and education projects and programs of the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative. 