From responding to entangled whales to collecting vital research data in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, our team works to protect marine mammals and inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.

Lost & Abandoned Fishing Gear
Removal Project

In the fall of 2019, we launched our new pilot program: “Unseen and Beneath the Surface: Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project”. Our project is comprised of scanning the seafloor to detect derelict or lost fishing gear and then retrieving it to remove it from the marine environment. This prevention practice reduces potential entanglements of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and other marine wildlife, many of which are on the Endangered Species List.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has one of the most diverse and abundant assemblages of marine animals in the world, including six species of pinniped, twenty-seven species of cetacean, four species of sea turtles, ninety-four species of seabirds and one species of sea otter (fissiped). Nearly all of the mammal and turtle species, and many birds, are protected under the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act or Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

In the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, we retrieved 1,430 pounds of derelict gear including:

  • 22 pot traps
  • 3,967 feet of line
  • 3 anchor weights
  • variety of buoys

Setting up the EdgeTech 4125 and towine for scanning the seafloor

Example of the 4 suspected pots/traps on the seafloor from the scan

Gear that we retrieved from the commercial fisherman's vessel by suspending a grapple to hook onto the lost and abandoned fishing gear

Data that we collected during our research surveys were being shared with the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group (CDCFG) and the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS). It was valuable data that contributed to the determination of closing date of the 2019-2020 Dungeness crab season. Originally, commercial crab season was scheduled to end on April 1, 2020. Since there were limited whale watching and fishing vessels patrolling the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary at that time, we recorded the locations of whales and other wildlife and shared it with Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program. For example, if the whales were found feeding more off shore where crab fishing was not present, there is no reason for the crab season to close early. Due to the data we shared with the CDCFG, NMS, and RAMP, the season did not close until May 15, 2020.

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     donation by check or money order, please send to:
     Marine Life Studies, PO Box 163, Moss Landing, CA 95039