We are pleased to announce with the William and Mary’s Batten School and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science 11 new marine debris removal projects under the Nationwide Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention (TRAP) Program. These projects represent an investment of $1.4 million to clean our nation's waterways with funds provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science selected these projects, in coordination with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, through a rigorous and competitive review process.
All of the selected projects focus on derelict fishing gear, any lost or discarded gear that is no longer under the control of a commercial or recreational fisher. This can include lines, nets, pots, traps, floats, and other equipment. Derelict fishing traps not only cost fishers money to replace, but can also compete with active fishing gear by trapping economically important species. Derelict traps can also trap and kill non-target species, such as fish, turtles, and other endangered and threatened species that are not meant to be caught. These new projects will remove derelict fishing traps from coastal waterways to support fishing communities and economies while collecting data to prevent future gear loss.
The selected award recipients are:
California Lobster & Trap Fishermen’s Association (California, $105,550)
Coastal Mapping & Sciences, LLC (Louisiana, $150,580)
Cornell Cooperative Extension (Connecticut and New York, $141,249)
Delaware Sea Grant (Delaware, $69,504)
Ebiil Society, Inc (Palau, $128,000)
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (Florida, $154,139)
Northwest Straits Foundation (Washington, $99,500)
Ocean Aid 360 (Florida, $170,000)
OceansWide (Maine, $199,364)
The Oyster Recovery Partnership (Maryland, $134,226)
University of Florida/IFAS Extension & Florida Sea Grant (Florida, $119,638)
Read more about our partnership, and find detailed project information on the William and Mary’s Batten School and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science website.