An official website of the United States government. 
The Ocean Foundation collaborated with fishing groups, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and local non-governmental organizations to address derelict fishing traps in Puerto Rico.
Type of Project: Fishing for Energy Grant
Region: Florida and Caribbean
Project Dates: January 2019 - January 2021
Who was involved?
The Ocean Foundation, with the support of a Fishing for Energy grant, a partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Covanta, and NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, collaborated with the fishing sector, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, Conservación ConCiencia, and local non-governmental organizations to address illegally placed derelict fishing traps in Puerto Rico.
What was the project and why is it important?
Divers along the East Coast of Puerto Rico have noted a high number of illegally set fishing traps. These unauthorized traps can negatively impact the fishing community by competing with fishers that have licenses, and damaging the surrounding environment. By removing these traps, The Ocean Foundation worked to protect and prevent fishing trap damage to coral reefs.
The project focused on high priority areas of the coral reef, such as Eastern Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra, where there is extensive use of unregulated trap fishing gear. Project partners also worked with the fishing community and local government to conduct a large-scale removal of derelict traps, reducing damage to coral reefs and “ghost fishing” of non-target fish species. Working with the industry to conduct removals and to improve compliance with fishing regulations is critical to prevent further damage to coral reefs.
In addition to removing and properly disposing of traps, The Ocean Foundation also developed a long-term disposal plan for derelict fishing traps, management recommendations, and educational materials on the impacts of derelict fishing gear in Puerto Rico.
What were the results?
After 128 removal trips with commercial fishers, the team was able to remove 1,026 traps, totalling 91,453 pounds of debris. Of the removed traps, 84 percent (861 traps) were illegally placed. The team was able to remove nearly 10 times the derelict fishing gear that was originally proposed. The efforts were internationally recognized in December 2022 when Conservación ConCiencia was awarded a 2022 Energy Globe Award.