Scores of lost fishing nets, tangled in the murky underwater twilight off the Olympic Peninsula, continue to snag and kill prey for years.
Divers call them “ghost nets,” and their victims include endangered salmon, birds, crabs and seals.
Now a $150,000 campaign suggested by a Clallam County man will begin to remove the nets, lost crab and shrimp pots and other gear.
The project, using divers and remotely operated equipment, will hopefully remove tons of lost gear which traps and kills marine animals and birds in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, Dungeness and Freshwater bays and other areas off the Peninsula.
A $75,000 one-year award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the project was announced this month by the Northwest Straits Commission, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Arlington.
“This is an important beginning, and I’m excited to see this substantial restoration of our marine habitat,” Murray said.
The $75,000 was doubled when the Northwest Straits Commission matched the award dollar for dollar through various non-federal sources.
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