Locating, Removing and Disposing of Derelict Fishing Gear
Derelict fishing gear is located and reported in a number of ways. Fishermen report lost gear to the Washington Department of Fish and wildlife (WDFW) under the “no-fault” reporting process. WDFW enforcement agents and scientists report derelict fishing gear found during their normal operations. Boaters, sport fishermen, divers and beach goers also find and report derelict fishing gear to WDFW. WDFW maintains a database of reported derelict fishing gear.
Photo: Pete Naylor
The Northwest Straits Commission also locates derelict gear during directed gear surveys. These surveys typically occur in areas of high commercial or sport fishing effort. Side-scan sonar has proven effective for locating derelict crab and shrimp pots, but is less effective for locating derelict nets. Net surveys utilize the expertise of trained divers. While most surveys are carried out by the Northwest Straits Commission's contractor, Natural Resources Consultants, in 2007 the US Army and Nisqually tribe both conducted valuable survey work.
Removal
Typical removal operations involve a dive support vessel and may also include a gear storage and transport vessel. If derelict nets are being removed, the dive operation usually entails three or more trained divers using surface supplied air, bailout bottles and a two-way voice communication system. One diver removes the gear (the work diver) while a second fully suited diver stands by as a safety backup (backup diver) and a dive supervisor monitors all aspects of the dive operation. Prior to removal operations, the work diver surveys the length of the net and reports entangled animals, notes impacts of the net on the habitat and provides estimates of the size of the net and the amount and type of habitat impacted.
Divers carefully remove nets by hand avoiding habitat disturbance. If necessary, the diver will cut the net loose where it is buried or encrusted rather than forcibly ripping the net away from fragile habitat. Once the net is freed and bundled, a strap and airlift bag is attached and it is floated to the surface where it is retrieved by the gear storage vessel. An onboard biologist further inspects the gear for entangled animals and records this information along with the information reported by the work diver.
If derelict crab pots are being removed, typically only a single vessel is required. A computer program analyzes the distribution of the derelict pots and suggests the most efficient removal pattern. The WAAS DGPS charting system guides the vessel to the exact location of the derelict pot and a clump weight, line and surface buoy is deployed at the location. A diver using surface supplied air or SCUBA, is deployed and follows the line from the surface float to the weight on the seabed and usually locates the pot within 10 to 15 ft of the clump weight location. The diver assesses the condition of the pot and follows the state-adopted guidelines in deciding whether to remove the pot or disable it in place (pots more than 1/2 buried in the seabed are typically left in place but disabled). The diver also counts and identifies the number of animals entrapped in the pot and notes any impact on the habitat such as inhibited eelgrass growth. The diver hooks a recovery line to the pot and either floats it to the surface with a lift bag or passes the line to the vessel crew that lifts the pot by hand off the seabed and then to the vessel by hand or hydraulic pot hauler.
Once onboard the vessel, the pot is inspected for the use of escape cord (required by law), identified as either a sport or commercial pot and inspected for personal identification tags. All organisms in the pot are identified, counted, recorded as dead or alive, and for Dungeness crabs, the sex is determined. All of the information is recorded on data forms and notes about the condition of the pot are recorded in the electronic chart system, i.e., removed, disabled or remaining, etc. Pots are cleaned of as much vegetation and sessile animals as possible and stored on deck. The onboard project manager typically oversees the removal operation, assures the guidelines are being followed and records the data.
Central to the success of this derelict gear program has been its grass-roots nature and partnerships with commercial and recreational fishermen to locate and remove gear. The Commission takes a no-fault approach to derelict gear removal. Rather than assigning blame for the deposition of derelict gear in the marine environment, the Commission focuses on removing existing gear and preventing new gear from entering the water through non-regulatory means. This approach is based on the following assumptions:
- That the majority of the derelict fishing gear in Washington state waters is local or regional in origin;
- That the majority of fishermen are operating legally in Washington state waters;
- That fishermen do not want to lose expensive gear;
- That if they do lose gear it is for reasons outside of their control;
- That fishermen have a stake in recovery of lost gear that might otherwise impact the sustainability of their industry.
The no-fault approach encourages fishermen to report lost nets so that they can be removed quickly. The reporting hotline receives nearly 30 reports of lost gear a month.
Disposal
When the owners of derelict fishing gear can be identified, such as gillnets with floats or crab pot tags showing the permit number, the owners will be contacted. Unidentified or abandoned gear that is dilapidated and no longer useful is either sent to recyclers (if available) or disposed of in a county landfill. Typically, gillnets and purse seine nets are not reusable and cannot be recycled due to the vegetative material that remains on the meshes. Crab pots that cannot be identified to the owner or are unclaimed can be sold for salvage and the funds returned to the Northwest Straits for additional gear removals.