Wash., Calif. Organizations Among Fishing Trap Removal Grant Recipients

A tangled pile of derelict fishing gear on the shoreline. Photo: NOAA.

The California Lobster & Trap Fishermen’s Association and the Washington-based Northwest Straits Foundation are among 11 organizations that have been awarded grants to remove fishing-related marine debris, NOAA announced Dec. 9.

All of the selected projects focus on derelict fishing gear, any lost or discarded gear that is no longer under the control of a commercial or recreational fisher. This can include lines, nets, pots, traps, floats and other equipment.

“These projects represent an investment of $1.4 million to clean our nation’s waterways with funds provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” NOAA said in a Dec. 9 news release.

The projects were selected by the NOAA Marine Debris Program in coordination with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. NOAA called it a “rigorous and competitive” review process.

The California Lobster & Trap Fishermen’s Association has been awarded $105,550 and the Northwest Straits Foundation $99,500.

The other nine organizations, which are spread out across the country, are receiving anywhere from $69,500 to $199,364 each. The funding of the removal projects comes from the federal Nationwide Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment and Prevention (TRAP) Program.

The projects will remove derelict fishing traps from coastal waterways to support fishing communities and economies while collecting data to prevent future gear loss.

“Derelict fishing traps not only cost fishers money to replace, but can also compete with active fishing gear by trapping economically important species,” Marine Debris Program officials said in a statement. “Derelict traps can also trap and kill non-target species, such as fish, turtles and other endangered and threatened species that are not meant to be caught.”