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The Center for Coastal Studies worked to identify, remove, and properly dispose of derelict fishing gear from sensitive areas along shorelines, breakwaters, shellfish flats, and in Cape Cod Bay.
Type of Project: Removal
Region: Northeast
Project Dates: September 2021 - August 2023
Who was involved?
With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Center for Coastal Studies partnered with commercial and recreational fishermen, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, private and municipal solid waste disposal providers, beach-goers, and other coastal interest groups to remove derelict fishing gear from the beaches and bay in a two-year cleanup and public education effort.
What was the project and why is it important?
There is a 400-year history of fishing and shellfish farming throughout Cape Cod Bay, and commercial fishing continues to be a significant industry in the region. Inevitably, fishing gear is lost each year to storm action, boat propellers, conflict with other types of fishing gear, or inattentiveness. Both old aquaculture gear and lost, abandoned, or discarded lobster, scallop, and finfish fishing gear are present along the shoreline and in the Bay.
In addition to removing derelict fishing gear, partners conducted extensive outreach to communities. Best management and prevention practices developed in consultation with representatives from the shellfish, groundfish, and lobster industries were shared with representatives of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, the South Shore Lobster Fishermen’s Association, municipal shellfish associations, and fisheries managers. This information provided tools for fishermen to reduce the amount of fishing gear debris and other trash that may accidentally enter the environment from their operations, and encouraged a proactive approach to preventing derelict gear.
What were the results?
Over the course of this award, 10 commercial lobstermen and 30 commercial and recreational shellfishermen participated in at-sea and shoreline abandoned, lost, and derelict fishing gear removal and disposal. Two hundred eighty “Beach Brigade” cleanup volunteers participated in aquaculture flats cleanups and additional shoreline cleanups and inventories, contributing over 2,600 hours of volunteer service. Recovered fishing gear debris was inventoried, sorted, and repurposed, recycled, or disposed of properly according to gear type, condition and ownership. Eleven artists working with marine debris, and fishing gear in particular, repurposed material recovered in both the at-sea and shoreline cleanups, in addition to assisting with the cleanups and debris inventories themselves. Overall, all 51,230 pounds of debris removed was repurposed, reused, recycled, incinerated, or returned to the owner.
For more information about this project, visit the Marine Debris Program Clearinghouse.