Sea Turtle ensnared in left over crab nets
Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs to be found anywhere on earth but it is an important job as it provides a large portion of the world’s food supply.
To the fishermen, nets and crab pots are their tools of their trade. Some of these crab pots and fishing nets can cost anywhere up to $40,000 so while they work hard to keep their equipment, accidents can and will happen and nets and crab pots will be lost.
Efforts are currently being made to remove lost fishing nets and crab pots from the floor of the Puget Sound. These nets and pots are mostly made up of synthetic materials that don’t degrade on the sea floor. While these nets and pots are lost, they are continuing to trap and destroy fish and crabs.
The Northwest Straits Commission is the lead agency involved with the removal of nets and pots from Puget Sound. The commission is made up of citizens representing local, tribal, state, and community interests.
A former purse seine fishing boat known as the Bet Sea, has been modified to locate and remove derelict fishing nets and crab pots from the sea floor