Rich Bard is a wildlife biologist who began his career as a zookeeper. Having spent most of his adult life moving around the country working with various wild animals, he settled near the coast of Maine in 2004. Amid the striking beauty of this remote region, he passes the time with his family, hiking, snowshoeing, gardening and watching the tide ebb and flow.
| Ghost Traps Haunt Our Beaches and the Ocean Floor |
| Saturday, 07 July 2012 10:00 | Written by Rich Bard | Blog Entry |
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As I walk slowly along the sandbar, focusing on identifying and counting birds, I could easily forget about the outside world of man, except for one problem: the tons of trash that wash up on the shore of this otherwise pristine little paradise that I have all to myself. These are working waters. Lobster boats, clam diggers, scallop and sea-urchin trawlers, shrimp boats, salmon, mussel and oyster aquaculture; these are the backbone of the local economy. These are also the source of the flotsam and jetsam that distract my eye as I watch for tiny migrating plovers and sandpipers. Lobster traps, oilcans, bleach bottles, buoys, rope, plastic gloves, water and Gatorade bottles--even the occasional boot--litter the beach and forest that border it. On a recent bird survey, I decided to add another species to my count. In a one- mile stretch of beach, I counted 33 lobster traps washed up on shore. I have watched a few of these traps slowly disappear beneath the sand in the three years I've been patrolling this coastline, so who knows how many hundreds may be beneath my feet. Ghost Gear Unlike lost fishing nets, a biodegradable door eventually opens in the traps, so lobsters, crabs and fish can escape if the trap isn't retrieved. Unfortunately, the rest of the plastic-coated wire trap isn't biodegradable and so they accumulate down there. Out of sight, out of mind, unless they happen to wash ashore. You can see sonar images of ghost lobster traps here online. Beyond My Beach The proposal estimates that 160,000 traps may be lost every year in Maine, resulting in the death of 50,000 pounds of lobster before the biodegradable doors open. (You can tell you are dealing with commercial fishing when wasted lives are counted in pounds.) The United Nations Environment Program reports (pdf) that up to 500,000 lobster traps may be lost on the New England coast each year. They go on to estimate that perhaps $250 million of marketable lobster is killed in ghost traps (similarly measuring in dollars instead of lives). With a budget of $2.3 million to be spent over 18 months, the pilot project is expected to recover only 80,000 traps, or not quite six months’ worth of lost traps. At least it’s a start. DMR hasn't heard whether the grant will be approved or not, but the biologist whom I contacted didn't sound very optimistic. As I walk my deserted stretch of beach, I note the slow movement of the traps over time and watch them fill up with sand and cobblestones washed up on the beach by New England gales. I tell myself that they are just part of the beach, along with the driftwood, broken shells and seal, duck and dolphin bones that also litter the shore. The shifting sands, pounding surf and ravages of time will erase them all...eventually. Additional resources: Help the Earth, Spread the Word: Share this article with family and friends by clicking on the "Email This" or "Share This" links below right. Then see TODAY'S TOP STORIES. Comments
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There is a certain stretch of beach that I walk regularly. Being part of a naval base, it is closed to the public, but I have permission to do shorebird surveys there. Only once in three years have I seen another person’s footprint in the sand, most likely from a boat that landed there.
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I'm glad you asked. I really didn't think that you could report a found trap, so I never looked into it...until you asked. In Maine, you can call the Department of Marine Resources main phone number, 207-624-6550. Tell them the number of the trap and they will contact the fisherman. If you are in some other state, check the webpage of whatever resource agency manages lobster fishing, or give them a call.
I guess I have some work to do to check all the traps I found for tags!