Removing Abandoned Fishing Gear for a Safer Barnegat Bay
Conserve Wildlife Foundation is leading the charge to remove dangerous, abandoned fishing gear throughout the watershed.
Through a series of public and private partnerships, and with the help of the local fishing community, Conserve Wildlife Foundation (CWF) is spearheading a project to inventory and remove more than 1,600 abandoned crab pots in Barnegat Bay. These derelict pots, lost from storms or cut lines, can have devastating impacts on the bay ecosystem and local economy.
A phenomenon referred to as “ghost fishing,” these traps will often continue to catch and kill marine life when abandoned, like the Northern diamondback terrapin and otherwise harvestable crabs. These lost harvests translate to economic losses for fishermen and the local community.
In addition, the pots disrupt navigation and damage sensitive ecosystems. The combined consequences of these abandoned pots reduce the integrity of the Barnegat Bay ecosystem and diminish its functionality for the community.
Funded by NOAA's Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grant, and in conjunction with our partners at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Stockton University, ReClam the Bay, the American Littoral Society, and the local fishing community, we will work hard to locate, inventory and remove these derelict pots from the Bay. Salvageable pots are returned to owners or made available to fishermen.
Unsalvageable pots will be disposed of by the Fishing for Energy program, which converts abandoned fishing gear into useable energy with the aid of our partners, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Covanta. In addition to removal of the pots, this project and our partners are working to better understand the impacts of abandoned pots and their distribution, gather information on the percentage of pots lost annually and also develop a long-term reporting system for lost pots and other fishing gear.
Conserve Wildlife Foundation is also working on an outreach campaign to raise awareness on the impacts of derelict crab pots and marine debris with additional funding from the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership. CWF will coordinate educational and outreach efforts with partners on the WeCrab project led by the Jacques Cousteau National Research Reserve and Stockton University.
Learn More
- NOAA Marine Debris Program recap of the project launch
- NOAA Marine Debris Program’s summary of the project
CWF and NOAA Marine Debris Program Removal Project - 615.5KB |
Making Headlines: News Coverage from the Project Launch
- ABC 6 Action News
- News 12 New Jersey
- The SandPaper
- NJTV News
- NJ.com photos and full story
- Geos News
- Philly.com
- NJ Spotlight
- Waste Management World
- Newsworks
- The Japan Times
- Arkansas Online
- The Daily Progress
- Associated Press: The Big Story
Species on the Edge: Marine Debris Edition
Since 2003, over 10,000 children from across New Jersey have entered Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s Species on the Edge educational contests. The contests are a great way to engage and excite students into learning about New Jersey’s over 80 endangered and threatened wildlife species.
In May 2016, CWFNJ and partners hosted a art decal contest to encourage students to learn about and educate others on the issues of marine debris in their local environment. Over 80 submissions were gathered from the local school districts! The winner was chosen and over 2,000 decals have been distributed at presentations, festivals, and outreach events.
Marine Debris Resources for Educators
Understanding Marine Debris - 3.2MB |
Marine Debris - Composition and Abundance - 190.3KB |
Protect our Ocean Activity Book - 1.6MB |
REPORTS
2015-2017 Derelict Fishing Gear Removal: Barnegat Bay - 12.2MB |
Find Related Info: Habitat Restoration, Marine Wildlife, Terrapins