EPA has been assisting the Northwest Straights and Natural Resource Consultants (NRC) in mapping derelict net locations in Puget Sound since 2010. Several weeks of dive operations have been devoted to this project from 2010 and 2013. By assisting NRC on the survey effort, EPA enables them to focus more of their efforts on gear removal.

Nets are not the only problem, but they are the highest priority. Nets kill more marine life and birds and degrade the underwater habitat more than other debris such as crab pots.

As of December 31, 2012, the Northwest Straits Initiative removed 4,358 derelict fishing nets and 2,889 crab pots from Puget Sound. This incredible effort has restored 616 acres of critical marine habitat.

Over 291,015 animals, representing more than 270 species, were found entangled in this gear. Species found included porpoise, sea lions, scoters, grebes, cormorants, canary rockfish, Chinook salmon, and Dungeness crab.

In 2010, the Initiative completed an 18-month project with American Recovery and Reinvestment Funding granted by NOAA. Find out more about current efforts to handling abandoned and preventing this problem in the first place at: www.derelictgear.org/ and www.nwstraits.org/