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03/07/2010: "13 PS Areas Free Of Derelict Fishing Nets -SJC Not One Of Them"

The Northwest Straits Initiative has completely removed lost and abandoned commercial fishing nets from 13 distinct locations in Puget Sound, but while progress has been made, San Juan County is not on the "free of" list (Related Story).

Director Ginny Broadhurst said, “It's great to see a significant number of sites in Puget Sound fully clean of dangerous derelict nets. These areas, including popular dive sites, are now safer for people and marine species. We've been working at this since 2002 and I look forward to our next report that will show that all of Puget Sound is free of derelict nets.” (file photo of birds drowned by one net)


Divers working for the Initiative have been busy removing nets from Puget Sound since last July after receiving American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA). The goal is to remove nearly all derelict gill nets from high priority areas of Puget Sound. It is estimated that when the project began, there were nearly 3,000 lost nets, many dating back several decades that continue to capture and kill fish, birds and marine mammals.

In San Juan county in August 2006 a fishing boat suffered mechanical problems and had to be towed in to port. The net was cut because the boat equipment could not function to bring it on board. The boat captain reported the incident and provided the location to the derelict gear hotline hosted by WDFW (Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife).

The net was removed seven days later, but after only a week in the water, the impact of this single net was astounding. Found in the net were:

• 1 dead harbor seal
• 30 dead red rock crab
• 38 dead kelp crab
• 30 dead spiny dogfish sharks
• 25 dead sockeye salmon
• 5 dead Chinook salmon
• 30 dead rockfish
• 40 dead kelp greenling
• 90 dead flatfish
• 110 dead spotted ratfish
• 30 dead lingcod

Divers working from four full-time removal boats have already removed over 1,200 mostly gill nets and are on schedule to complete the project by December, 2010. They are working throughout all of Puget Sound in areas that have historically been fished for commercial salmon.

This project is one of 50 selected by NOAA for federal stimulus funding authorized by Congress earlier this year. There are currently 30 people employed, including divers, boat crews, biologists and information technology professionals.

“Healthy coastal habitats are critical to the recovery and sustainability of the U.S. economy, “said Pat Montanio, Director of NOAA Habitat Conservation. “Coastal areas generate more than 28 million jobs in the United States. Commercial and recreational fishing employs 2 million people and contributes $185 billion to the nation’s economy.”


The Northwest Straits Initiative is nationally recognized as an innovative approach to bring sound science and an ecosystem perspective together with citizen energy and entrepreneurship. It began its derelict fishing net and crab pot removal program in 2002.