DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Derelict net removed from water near Stuart Island

Story and photos by Sharon Kivisto

posted 06/22/02
Onboard the Humpback Hauler Senator Bob Oke (Port Orchard -R) watched as a 300-400 foot purse seine net was pulled out of the water near Stuart Island Thursday, June 19, 2002. Oke sponsored Senate Bill 6313 which removed regulatory barriers that had prevented the retrieval of derelict fishing gear. "We're focused on retrieving 12 tons this year," he said. "We're trying to get the word out. Let us know where it's at. There are no penalties."

The net was discovered in May by a team of DNR divers who were training off of Stuart Island after stormy weather prevented them from training in another area. The net was chosen as the first to be retreived under the pilot program because it was in a popular recreation area and also in a lingcod and rockfish habitat. "The nets continue to fish for decades," said Doug Williams, a senior diver with DNR.

A team of seven divers led by Williams spent Wednesday freeing the net from the reef. "There were a lot of fish skeletons," he said. Several box crabs were freed from the net.

Safety was the biggest challenge he said. The divers worked in teams and follow a strict set of safety guidelines. Visibility became limited when the net moved. One diver became entangled for a brief time Wednesday.

On Thursday with Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland, County Commissioner Rhea Miller, DNR staff, Northwest Straits Commission staff, TV news crews from Seattle, and Oke watching the divers finished the task of retreiving the net.

Lift bags were attached and the net was brought to the surface. The purse seiner Esperanza reeled the net aboard and took it to Anacortes for disposal. The use of the boat was donated. Skagit County Public Works agreed to dispose of the net at no charge.

A database of the location of derelict fishing gear is being compiled. According to NWSC the amount in Puget Sound is estimated to be in the hundreds of tons. Besides DNR and NWSC, other groups are involved in the retreival of the gear. Seven marine resource committees, NOAA, Tulalip Tribes, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, WDFW, commercial fishing and diving companies and private foundations.

Citizens are encouraged to report the locations of derelict gear. There are no penalties. For more information contact Director of NWSC Tom Cowan at 360.428.1558 or email: info@nwstraits.org

Removal of fishing net near Stuart Island set for June 19

posted 06/19/02
OLYMPIA - Working to improve fish habitat and protect sea life in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the Northwest Straits Commission have partnered to remove a large purse seine net that rests on a reef near Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands. Such nets, known as derelict fishing gear, can needlessly kill fish, shellfish, marine birds and mammals, and can even entangle recreational divers.

These nets can continue to "fish" for decades. Live creatures enter the net to feed on the marine animals entrapped there, get caught themselves, and the cycle continues. When whales and sea birds get their tails entangled and try to swim, the weight of the net slows them down and they may drown.

The net, which is several hundred feet long, will be removed on Thursday, June 20, as part of the Northwest Straits Commission’s pilot project to remove a minimum of twelve tons of derelict fishing gear this year. Currently, the net is expected to be removed between noon and 1:30 p.m.

Also attending will be Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland, Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Jeff Koenings, Senator Bob Oke and San Juan County Commissioner Rhea Miller.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for the management of Washington’s aquatic bedlands. Removal of derelict fishing gear is comparable to removal of hazardous waste on uplands.

The Department of Natural Resources manages 2.4 million acres of aquatic lands in Washington for the benefit of the people of the state. DNR manages those lands to provide a balance of public benefits. Those benefits include encouraging public access, fostering water dependent uses, utilizing renewable resources, and ensuring environmental protection. DNR generates revenue from these lands to fund important programs such as environmental programs and salmon recovery.

Acting as a board of directors for the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, the Northwest Straits Commission and its seven-partner Marine Resources Committees are charged by Congress to protect and restore vital marine resources and habitat of the Northwest Straits through a citizen-based approach.