Local project goes to the U.N.

Tom Cowan, director of the Northwest Straits Commission, has been invited by the United States to speak on June 9 at the United Nations in New York City about the commission’s Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project.

Sponsored by the United Nations General Assembly, the Sixth Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea is an annual event focused on enhancing coordination on marine issues of global importance. This year, the Consultative Process will feature issues regarding the proliferation of marine debris.

“I’m proud that our program is receiving national and international attention,” Cowan said. “The problem of marine debris in the form of derelict fishing gear is certainly not limited to Puget Sound.”

The Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Project was initiated by the commission in 2002 in response to the hundreds of tons of lost and abandoned fishing nets and crab and shrimp traps in Puget Sound. In addition to being a hazard to human safety, much of this gear continues to kill fish, shellfish, marine birds and mammals, sometimes for decades.

Modeled after a successful program in Hawaii, it is the first comprehensive removal project of its type in the continental United States and involves numerous partners.

The commission’s efforts in Puget Sound have recovered 740 crab traps and over 260 gillnets. This action has prevented the tragic loss of thousands of valuable marine animals and opened up over 72 acres of underwater habitat.

The commission recently received additional funding from NOAA to train other organizations and replicate the program in other coastal states. The commission will begin its next gear removal season this summer.

For more information about the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative and this project, call (360) 428-1084 or visit www.nwstraits.org

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