Gulf of Maine Cleanup Drive Hauls Mountain of Ghost Gear, Nearly 5000 Pounds in Four Days

In just four days, approximately 5000 pounds of ghost gear were transported, according to a cleanup drive throughout the Gulf of Maine.

There were buoys, dock foam, lobster traps, and ropes.

Throughout a four-day sailing expedition in late June, the Ocean Conservancy itself and Rozalia Project gathered the misplaced and abandoned equipment.

The Ocean Conservancy continues to work to preserve the ocean for people, wildlife, and other species.

On the other hand, the Rozalia Project is committed to cleaning up waterways of trash.

The crew cleared 4,723 pounds of equipment and other waste from secluded islands in the region.

The haul of trash included 35 pounds of buoys, about 52 pounds of dock foam, 4,220 pounds of traps, and 530 pounds of rope. Additionally, there were plastic drink bottles, bleach bottles, and oil bottles.

Chris Dorsett, vice president of Ocean Conservancy, discussed the expedition and the risks posed by all of this marine debris.

Ghost Gear Impacts

According to Dorsett, ghost gear is one of the major sources of ocean plastics and the most dangerous type of marine debris.

An average of 1,700 fish, 500,000 marine invertebrates, and four seabirds are said to perish in a single abandoned net.

According to some estimates, ghost gear may be to blame for up to a 30% decrease in fish stocks.

The Efforts

The Ocean Conservancy believes it's crucial to attack the ghost gear problem from all angles, so in addition to removal efforts, the team is working on ghost gear prevention and mitigation.

In addition to supporting neighborhood recycling programs, they have been organizing workshops for local fishermen, mapping hotspots to determine why and where gear is lost or piling up, and continuing to spread the word about cutting-edge technologies that can stop gear loss.

According to Dorsett, this project took months to plan and involved the cooperation of numerous organizations and the neighborhood.

Ocean Conservancy's Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) collaborated with Rozalia Project in setting a location for the cleanup drive, connect with regional partners like the Maine Island Trail Association, and handle the challenging logistics of a remote island cleanup with assistance from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The group felt encouraged by how the neighborhood came together to help sustain this work.

Ghost Gear Lifecycle

The team makes an effort to recycle plenty of the items from their trash and gear removals as they can.

For instance, they collaborated with Rowlands Recycling (Steuben, Maine) in this task to recycle the metal parts from the traps the group collected, which were going to be turned into light iron.

They also gave the neighborhood fishermen reusable fishing equipment.

Cleanups

Every year, the GGGI organizes a few gear removals with regional partners all over the world.

Just as the group is operating to facilitate an increasing number of these removals, the removals themselves are extremely technical and challenging to organize.

The whole cleanup alone required access to a far-off, privately-owned island, the rental of a sizable business dumpster, and a massive amount of tools and labor.

Because of this, the team must collaborate with regional groups such as the Rozalia Project, who are familiar with the local populations and topography.

For their yearly International Coastal Cleanup, Ocean Conservancy has also organized volunteers from all over the world for more than 35 years.

Over 17 million volunteers have gathered over 348 million pounds of trash from waterways and beaches since the program's inception.

Pollution in the Ocean

One of the biggest dangers currently facing the oceans is plastic pollution.

Approximately 11 million metric tons of plastic are thought to enter the ocean annually.

Because of this, the Ocean Conservancy is tackling this problem from all directions, including projects for prevention and removal as well as collaboration with businesses and governments to help educate on best practices and policy change.

The team has noticed a significant shift in recent years toward increased awareness of the plastic pollution crisis, recognition of it, and a desire to cooperate to address it.

The United Nations is striving to create an international, legally enforceable instrument on plastic pollution, and California recently passed a significant law to address plastic pollution.

They are pleased to see these developments and feel confident that the conservatory is heading in the right direction, Treehugger reported.