GGGI Signature Project - Gulf of Maine and Rhode Island
Maine fisherman Jim Buxton and crew haul in a load of recovered ALDFG.
Project Background
Each year, thousands of lobster traps are lost in the Gulf of Maine due to poor weather, broken groundlines, and buoys buffeted by storms, or cut loose by boat propellers. These lost traps have significant ecological and economic impacts, resulting in diminished lobster populations and hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and replacement costs across the industry. To address this issue, the GGGI has been working with partners on the ground, including the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) and Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, as well as local fishers for years to help solve this problem by doing annual gear removals in the off-season as well as holding voluntary end-of-life “gear grab” events and local knowledge sharing and capacity building workshops. The main project objectives are to:
Partner with local fishers to gather and analyze first-hand ghost gear related data in the Gulf of Maine; • Identify the hotspots where fishing gear accumulates;
Remove ghost gear in partnership with the fishing industry, characterizing the type and amount of gear, while recycling as much as possible;
Facilitate discussions and recommendations with the fishing industry and other stakeholders on the best solutions to prevent gear loss and to aid in its removal; and
Raise awareness of the negative impact of ghost gear and potential solutions among the fishing industry, stakeholders, and the general public.
Project Summary
(2023)
In 2023, we continued our work in the Gulf of Maine region with the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) and other partners, and we also expanded our work into Rhode Island in collaboration with the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF). The GGGI also attended the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, Maine, where the GGGI hosted a session called “Working with Fishermen to Remove Lost and Abandoned Fishing Gear from the Gulf of Maine.” The event was a great success with open dialogue and discussion among the approximately 35 people who attended our session. Panelists for this event included GGGI’s Joel Baziuk, Erin Pelletier with GOMLF Susan Inglis with CFRF, and commercial fisher Jim Buxton. The open discussion was very successful with some great questions from the audience and a lively and positive conversation, emphasizing how fishers have been addressing ghost gear in the region, and hopefully encouraging others to do the same.
In close collaboration with the GGGI, Ocean Outcomes (O2) developed and facilitated a series of interactive workshops in the Canadian Maritimes to facilitate information exchange between the GGGI and regional stakeholders to get a better understanding of the key drivers of gear loss in the region’s lobster fisheries, and to discuss existing and possible solutions for addressing the issues associated with gear loss. The workshops were designed to engage lobster harvesters and other lobster fisheries stakeholders in the greater region to familiarize engaged parties with GGGI’s Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear (C-BPF) and discuss relevant opportunities and strategies for implementing those practices for fisheries in the region by highlighting best practices related to preventing, mitigating and remediating the effects of ALDFG. The workshops — and follow-up stakeholder interviews conducted by O2 — were also intended to provide insights on pathways and recommendations to the GGGI on how to most effectively support ALDFG work in the region going forward. Workshops were held in Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia in August of 2023. We have a similar workshop planned for early 2024 in Rockport, Maine.
In Maine, CSR GeoSurveys Ltd. teamed up with GOMLF to perform side-scan sonar surveys in Casco Bay, focusing on areas where gear loss had been identified previously. Nearly 1,300 ALDFG targets were identified across eight days of surveys that took place between April 26, 2023 (operating out of Portland, Maine) and May 9, 2023 (operating out of Harpswell, Maine). Though it wasn’t possible to remove all of these ALDFG targets, by using this information, GOMLF conducted additional gear removals with long-time partner and local fisher Jim Buxton. A total of 10,000 pounds of derelict gear were removed through an at-sea retrieval carried out by our partner GOMLF off of Cushing Island in Casco Bay. Casco Bay was confirmed as a priority site for a retrieval through our side-scan sonar efforts conducted in summer 2023, which showed more than 1,200 possible targets in this area. Furthermore, this location is a high-density fishing area with the potential for gear conflict, which contributes to a higher rate of gear loss. The retrieval event collected a mass of rope, net, and lobster traps weighing roughly 4,500 kg. The debris was removed using float bags and barrels to lift the gear to the surface, and the debris was then towed for removal at the Portland Fish Pier. The retrieval was carried out by three fishers, a diver, and GOMLF. The remaining ALDFG targets will help make future recovery efforts much more efficient, as locating ALDFG is often one of the greatest challenges when conducting this kind of work.
GOMLF also collected an estimated 5,400 kg of end-of-life lobster gear through a mobile “gear grab” in Gouldsboro, Maine. Carried out by GOMLF and the local GGGI member OceansWide, this two-day event in early June 2023 resulted in 645 traps brought in by five fishers, as well as more than 100 abandoned traps brought in or collected from the back yard of a single local residence.
CSR GeoSurveys Ltd. also conducted side-scan sonar surveys in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, working together with the CFRF. These surveys were carried out from April 30-May 5, 2023. More than 2,100 ALDFG targets were identified with side-scan sonar, providing CFRF with no shortage of targets to retrieve in future removal efforts. CFRF has been successful at using GoPro cameras, often in lieu of a verification dive, to verify the type of gear present at these locations. In addition to being much cheaper and faster than using a diver to verify the presence of ALDFG, this approach of using a GoPro to verify the presence of gear is relatively novel, as others have used remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to accomplish the same task. However, ROVs are much more expensive than GoPros, and they can be challenging to operate. This method of using a GoPro to verify the presence of a removal target has worked very well in Rhode Island and it can be incorporated into future recommendations for gear verification elsewhere, where practical. Sharing lessons learned, such as this example, continues to be an important part of the GGGI mission.
To further understand the ALDFG situation in the U.S. Northeast, we are working with NRC to assemble predictive models for Maine and Rhode Island. These predictive models are intended to be roadmaps for where gear is likely to be lost based on a series of overlapping local variables, including fishing effort, bathymetry, weather patterns, currents, and vessel traffic. The side-scan sonar data collected by CSR GeoSurveys Ltd. will also feed into these models for Maine and Rhode Island, adding additional hard data to refine the models and increase their accuracy. Additionally, GOMLF (in Maine) and CFRF (in Rhode Island) are conducting surveys with fishers in their respective regions to gain their input on the key drivers for, and areas of, gear loss, which will then be fed directly into the NRC predictive models to further refine them. These fisher surveys are being carried out in collaboration with the UN FAO and use the UN FAO survey methodology which will also feed into the UN FAO’s ongoing study to determine a new global estimate of the amount of fishing gear lost every year.
Project Summary
(2022)
Our main project partner, the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) held two “grapple events” in Harpswell, ME that resulted in the removal of 42,000 pounds of debris and engaged ten fishers over four days. During these events, local partners/fishers used a grapple (small metal hook tied via rope to the vessel) to retrieve debris from the seafloor and bring it ashore for proper disposal. Of the debris removed, 18,000 pounds of lobster traps were crushed to be recycled, and 24,000 pounds of debris, rope, buoys and cable were sent for disposal. One of the fishers who participated in the events has been working on this issue with GOMLF for more than a decade. This year, his son—who now owns his own lobster boat—was able to participate as well.
In August 2022, we hosted a two-day workshop in Portland, ME for 12 lobster fishers and associated local stakeholders in the Gulf of Maine, including the head of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and other representatives from nonprofits with ties to local fisher communities that represented a diverse geographic distribution. The workshop, which was facilitated by our project consultant Ocean Outcomes (O2), had the following key objectives: 1) To highlight best practices related to preventing, mitigating and remediating the effects of ALDFG; and 2) To facilitate information exchange between the GGGI and local fishery stakeholders to identify and understand key drivers of gear loss in the region and to discuss existing and possible future solutions.
The workshop consisted of presentations and interactive idea-generating sessions geared towards developing consensus, understanding and collective thought on solutions to ALDFG. This included presentations from the GGGI, O2 and local ALDFG knowledge experts in the region such as Erin Pelletier, GOMLF; Susan Inglis, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation; Jim Buxton, a Portland, ME commercial fisherman and dive expert; and Campbell ‘Buzz’ Scott, OceansWide. We had planned to conduct a workshop in Saint John, Newfoundland and another in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2022 as well, but Hurricane Fiona postponed those plans. Those workshops will now be held in 2023.
In early August 2022, we participated in a workshop called, “Planning a Ghost Gear Removal Program for Rhode Island,” hosted by our local partner, the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF). This workshop helped build partnerships with fishers, coastal communities, and environmental organizations in Rhode Island to develop a sustainable ghost gear management and removal plan. We participated in this workshop to provide technical guidance and share lessons learned. The GGGI also joined CFRF’s advisory council for ghost gear removal, and we will meet regularly with the CFRF advisory council as it prepares to launch its ghost gear retrieval program in early 2023. In 2023, we also plan to work with CFRF to develop gear retrieval protocols for Rhode Island and conduct UN FAO-developed fisher surveys in Rhode Island.
Additionally, from June 22–27, Chris Dorsett, vice president of Ocean Conservancy’s (OC) Conservation Policy and Program, who oversees the GGGI portfolio, and OC Communications Manager Maddie Black sailed with the Rozalia Project—a longtime supporter of OC’s International Coastal Cleanup—aboard the oceanographic research vessel “American Promise” on a cleanup expedition aimed at removing ghost gear from Maine waters. Along with the other crew members, the GGGI team recorded the recovered gear collected using the Ghost Gear Reporter App, which uploads directly to the GGGI’s global data portal, the world’s largest repository of ghost gear data. The team made an amazing haul, recovering over 4,700 pounds of gear and marine debris. The effort received excellent coverage by a number of top media outlets, including interviews with Chris on Fox 22 News out of Bangor, ME, and with Maddie on ABC news, also out of Maine.
2022 Rozalia Project cleanup - photo credit: Giselle Veve.
2022 Rozalia Project cleanup - photo credit: Giselle Veve.
2022 Rozalia Project cleanup - photo credit: Giselle Veve.
Project Summary
(2021)
During a gear retrieval off the coast of Portland, Maine, the GGGI and the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) removed more than 4,000 pounds of lost and abandoned fishing gear, consisting primarily of lobster traps, gillnets and rope. Some of the tags on removed lobster pots were 18 years old, indicating just how long the gear had been lost underwater. Maine, known for its commercial lobster fishery, produces more than 80% of all lobster caught in the United States.
This gear retrieval is part of GGGI’s ongoing collaboration with GOMLF in the region. The GGGI hosted a two-day virtual workshop on best practices for the management of fishing gear and on relevant case studies, with presentations by GOMLF, the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS), Oceanswide, and the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF). A similar workshop was also hosted for stakeholders in nearby Rhode Island.
GOMLF also targeted end-of-life fishing gear in the region by hosting a gear drive for fishers to dispose of their end-of-life gear. The drive resulted in the recycling and disposal of 11,420 pounds of gear, including 115 old traps. Additionally, GOMLF lent support to Oceanswide, a Maine-based NGO which recycles and repurposes end-of-life lobster traps using a homemade “trap crusher.” Volunteers remove bricks and aluminum rings from donated lobster traps and crush them for recycling at a nearby steel plant. This effort led to the recycling of 436 lobster traps—totaling 19,620 pounds.
This project highlights the collaborative nature of the GGGI model: through virtual training and building partnerships with local NGOs, this project helped establish trust with fishers and raise awareness about gear management best practices to significantly improve marine habitats and support the productivity of one of the most economically important industries in the region.
As this project continues, efforts to identify hotspots for lost gear and removal will expand over the Canadian border into the Bay of Fundy. Additional workshops on best practices will be held with fishers in both Canada and the US, and we will be working with NOAA to meet the ALDFG goals outlined in its regional marine debris action plan for the Gulf of Maine.
Project Summary
(2020)
With support from NOAA and 11th Hour Racing, we continued our at-sea removals with the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and local fishers, where in 2019 we removed a ball of lost gear weighing over 20,000 pounds – the biggest removal in a single effort conducted through a GGGI project to date. Local fishers identified two more locations for similar gear balls and we were scheduled to remove them in 2020, but due to COVID-19-related restrictions, this work occurred in 2021.
(2019)
In June 2019, with funding from 11th Hour Racing and support from Ocean Conservancy and the GGGI, local lobster fishers and GOMLF removed an enormous ball of ghost gear that had accumulated in the Gulf of Maine. The ball of gear, which had accumulated over months or years of snagging other lost gear and debris on the sea floor, weighed nearly 20,000 pounds and represents the single largest accumulation of gear both GOMLF and the GGGI have been able to successfully remove to date.
Due to the nature of these gear balls, which typically contain multiple gear types and materials which are very difficult to separate, recycling the materials is a challenge. Where possible, the materials were recycled with the balance being sent to a waste to energy facility to power local homes. This project builds on the success of the previous year’s removal effort led by GOMLF, World Animal Protection and the GGGI.
(2018)
In May 2018, World Animal Protection organised and sponsored an ALDFG removal operation in Maine, with local fishers and the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation. They set out to remove discarded lobster pots and discarded fishing gear and pulled up nearly 2 tons of gear.
Project partners
Partners
Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation
Rozalia Project
Funders
11th Hour Racing
NOAA Marine Debris Program
