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Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project

Derelict fishing gear includes nets, lines, crab and shrimp traps/pots, and other recreational or commercial harvest equipment that has been lost or abandoned in the marine environment. Modern nets and fishing line made of synthetic materials have been in use since the 1940s and take decades, even hundreds of years, to decompose in water. Derelict fishing gear is long-lasting marine debris that poses many problems to people and to marine animals, including:

• Entangling divers and swimmers;
  
• Trapping and wounding or killing fish, shellfish, birds and marine mammals;
  
• Degrading marine ecosystems and sensitive habitats;
• Damaging propellers and rudders of recreational boats, commercial and military vessels;
  
• Endangering boat crews and passengers with vessel capsizing.

Unfortunately, Puget Sound is littered with derelict fishing gear. It is estimated that hundreds of tons of derelict gear have collected over time in Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits region in particular including the Strait of Juan de Fuca and northern Puget Sound from Everett to the Canadian border.

The Northwest Straits Commission has initiated a pilot removal program. The Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project will develop and test protocols for removing derelict fishing gear from the cold, deep waters of northwest Washington, starting in the Northwest Straits.

Four fundamental steps will build a successful recovery program:

1. Locating and Reporting - A toll-free hotline and a Web site have been established so that divers, fishermen, boaters, beach-goers and anyone involved with the marine environment can report sightings of derelict fishing gear in the water or on shore. Recreational divers are strongly cautioned to avoid the gear because of the inherent dangers -- divers have died from entanglement in the past.
2. Verifying and Prioritizing - A database of reported gear will help set priorities for removal efforts based on threats to public safety and marine resources, hazards to navigation and other criteria.
3. Removing - Trained commercial divers and vessels will follow the protocols developed through this project, analyze hazards with sidescan sonar/videography to reduce risks, and will physically remove the gear from several initial locations in the waters of the Northwest Straits. Derelict gear is often encrusted with marine organisms, collectively weighing a ton or more when removed from the water. While volunteer of submerged gear removal is not recommended, organized groups may be authorized for beach removal participation.
4. Reusing, Recycling and Disposing - Recycling opportunities for recovered nets and crab and shrimp traps are being investigated. In some cases, recovered nets have been reused for fishing or recycled into soccer nets. In other cases, however, recovered gear will need to be disposed.

If you know where derelict fishing gear is located, report it by calling the WDFW Derelict Fishing Gear Hotline or by using the reporting form. When you encounter derelict fishing gear:

• Stay safely away from it!
  
• Do not attempt removal - you may actually violate state and/or federal law.
  
• Record as much information as you can while you're on-site, including:
  
  1. Location - GPS coordinates/chart location (latitude - longitude), water depth, distance from nearby landmarks and/or common names for the area;
     
  2. Type of Gear - Nets (monofilament gillnet or twine-like purse seine, trawl or fish farm pens), Pots/Traps (round or square for crab or shrimp, singular or multiple), Ropes/Lines, Floats, Trawl Doors or others;
     
  3. Details - Date and time of sighting, your activity during sighting (beach walk, swimming, diving, boating), type of seabed, size of the gear, number and type of invertebrates, fish, birds or marine mammals entangled or dead in the gear, perceived level of threat to humans/passing vessels;
     
  4. Contact Name - your name, phone number, address, and/or Email address will be very helpful should more information be needed. However, anonymous reports will be accepted;
     
  5. Report what you see - even if you're not sure the gear is lost or abandoned.
     Also, prevent your own gear from becoming lost or abandoned -fish and boat only in approved areas, know what's below you when fishing to avoid snagging, properly dispose of all broken lines/gear on shore, and always use "rot-cord" on traps and pots. Always report lost gear within 48 hours to aid removal efforts.

Use the Online Report Form
click here
or call the Reporting Hotline: 1-877-933-9847

New state legislation calls for agency coordination of derelict fishing gear removal in state marine waters. Agencies and organizations involved in the project include: Northwest Straits Commission, the Marine Resources Committees of Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, Snohomish, Clallam, Jefferson, and Island counties, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Navy, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Sea Grant Program, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, Tulalip Tribes, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, commercial fishing and diving companies, and private foundations. Additional support and participation is welcome!

The focus of the Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project is not on assessing blame. The goals are to remove lost and abandoned gear, to help restore Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits, to improve public safety, and to assist species recovery. The success of the project will rely on the collective efforts of citizens, government organizations and private businesses that all have an interest in healthy marine life.

Click here to go to the Northwest Straits Commission Website

What is the Northwest Straits Commission?

Acting as a board of directors for the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, the Northwest Straits Commission is made up of citizens representing local, tribal, state and community interests working together to protect vital marine resources. Citizen-based Marine Resources Committees, representing the seven counties of northwest Washington, are full partners in the Initiative.

WDFW Derelict Fishing Gear Hotline 1-877-933-9847

Northwest Straits Commission 360-428-1085

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