The North Carolina Coastal Federation has launched its 12th annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project, an initiative to locate and remove displaced and potentially dangerous fishing gear from the northeast and central regions of the coast.
The project takes place each year during the annual closure prohibiting the use of crab, eel, fish and shrimp pots in internal coastal waters north of the N.C. 58 bridge to Emerald Isle.
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During this year’s closure, which is Jan. 8-31, the 21 commercial fishermen and women hired for the project are to remove from designated areas any lost crab pots and other hazards from specific areas within Marine Patrol Districts 1 and 2.
After collection, recovered crab pots will be recycled as much as possible, and those retrieved from the Albemarle and Pamlico Sound region will be available for rightful property owners to reclaim post-cleanup.
“I’m glad to be involved and do my part to keep the sounds clean. It’s important for the blue crab fishery and much more. Without clean waterways, there would be so much at risk,” Joe Speight, a longtime participant from Kitty Hawk, said in a statement.
N.C. Commercial Fishing License Resource Fund Program funds the project.
Coastal Federation Coastal Education Coordinator Sara Hallas Hemilright, who leads the project, stressed the significance of this collaborative effort.
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“This project brings together unique partnerships for a common cause of clean waterways. Our commercial fishers are true experts of the local waters, and it’s an honor to work alongside them to ensure the success of this cleanup and recovery effort,” she said in a statement.
More than 24,000 lost crab pots have been recovered since the project began in 2014. Collaborative efforts between commercial watermen and the N.C. Marine Patrol resulted in the recovery last year of 2,136 pots along the entire coast.
To learn more about the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project and its impact over the years, visit program’s the website.
