PORTLAND (AP) — The Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass., says it has removed approximately ten tons of fishing gear and other debris from the ocean floor during its second “Outer Cape Derelict Gear Assessment and Retrieval Program.”
Four commercial lobstering vessels from Provincetown took part in the March campaign. A spokeswoman for the center said the group has removed more than 320 wire lobster traps, a toilet, a stuffed doll, two anchors, and dozens of other items.
The recovered traps include 142 deemed intact. Most of those had identification tags and were claimed by their owners. Two dozen of them were transported to a holding facility where they will be auctioned off.
The spokeswoman said the metal pieces of more than 10,000 pounds of waste fishing gear will be recycled.
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