APEC MARINE DEBRIS SEMINAR SUCCESSFUL GEAR RECOVERY Lessons from Puget Sound Jeff June, Project Manager Joe Schmitt & Gary Wood JD Northwest Straits Commission Washington State, U.S.
The Northwest Straits Derelict Fishing Gear Recovery Project January, 2004 Report to APEC
The Puget Sound Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project 1. 2001 NW Straits Commission awarded project grant 2. Fourteen partners & project mgr. recruited 3. Protocol designed 4. New state law 5. Pilot recovery work 6. New funding for 2004
A volunteer Commission created and leads the Derelict Gear project
Project area - shaded The target area is part of an inland sea comprised of major shipping, oil tanker, US Navy and ferry lanes, with over one million residents. It is also a major salmon habitat, now listed as Endangered Species. SEATTLE
First recorded man-made marine debris in Puget Sound - 1880 Whereupon, in 2002, the first effort to clear such detritus was undertaken.
PROJECT CORE: No Fault, goal is recovery PERMIT ISSUES ~ Resolve this issue first PROBLEM: Two types of gear involved & two techniques necessary for recovery 1. Nets - Phase One developed safety and recovery protocols for Diver-performed removal of designated nets. Surface gases and redundant safety procedures employed, with support vessels e.g., purse seines. 2. Crab & Shrimp Traps - Different threats to more species; location techniques vary, some success with side-scan sonar. Separate recovery protocols, mechanical tools. Special political (Tribal) & technical issues to consider.
WHERE ARE THE NETS? The Gear Database process generated a chart of of known Northern Puget Sound with all all derelict gear sites ID ID and geospatially located -by GPS- ranked for removal or or other remediation. As As new sites become known, the maps can include the new datasets.
Mapped net sites are not made public
Map of Gear Reported September 2002
Finally, work underwater www.nwstraits.org/derelict_gear
NET RECOVERIES Divers free large seine, June, 2002
The team performed perfectly
The media attended opening day
Future issues include thorough biological assessments of sites and recovered species.
REID HARBOR, San Juan County As killer whales breached nearby and curious seals checked out the PAGE ONE - Friday, June 21, 2002 'Ghost nets' haunt waters: Divers gingerly remove abandoned fishing gear that endangers marine life By Eran Karman Seattle Times staff reporter
Next: Recovery of Traps and Pots
Task: Locate abandoned traps and pots
Sidescan sonar image of pots
In In September, 2003, this project was awarded the 2003 Coastal America Partnership Award by by President Bush; presented in in Seattle at at September s Estuarine Research Foundation (ERF) Conference New grants from the State s Salmon Recovery Board and NOAA/NMFS will expand this work in in 2004
Participating Agencies & Organizations Phase One Participants: Northwest Straits Commission National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration/National Marine Fisheries Service primary sponsors ~Seven County Marine Resources Committees Clallam Island Jefferson San Juan Skagit Snohomish Whatcom Project Managed by: Natural Resources Consultants, Inc. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Washington Department of Natural Resources Washington Department of Ecology Washington Sea Grant Program Puget Sound Action Team Tulalip Tribes U.S. Navy U. S. Army Corps of Engineers U. S. Coast Guard Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Commercial fishing and diving Private foundations
In Memoriam -- Doug Williams
We have bent these waters to do our work, only to find out they already had jobs. -- Gary Wood