Collaborating to Remove Derelict Fishing Gear in the U.S. Caribbean

Type of Project: Removal

Region: Caribbean

Project Dates: October 2024 - September 2028

Who is involved?

With the support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, The Ocean Foundation and Conservación ConCiencia are working with local fishing communities from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to implement a fishing trap turn-in program and large-scale, impactful removals of lost or abandoned derelict fishing gear. 

What is the project and why is it important?

Illegal and derelict fishing gear is a threat to marine ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as to coastal communities and local fisheries in the Caribbean. Once lost or discarded, gear can continue to trap and kill fish, crustaceans, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds. Illegal traps can kill non-targeted animals, disrupt legal fishing activities, and deplete important fish stocks. The removal of these traps is key to protecting sensitive ecosystems and commercially important or endangered species.

The project is building upon similar past successful efforts supported by NOAA’s Marine Debris program. The Ocean Foundation and Conservacion ConCiencia, in collaboration with the local fishing industry, are continuing and expanding an existing derelict fishing gear recovery program to different coastal municipalities in Puerto Rico and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This initiative is increasing communication and trust between fishing and conservation communities, while creating ways to address illegal fishing gear, which represents the majority of the lost and abandoned fishing gear in the U.S. Caribbean.

The project is relying on the paid expertise and years of professional debris removal experience of licensed commercial fishing divers to remove an estimated 2,000 derelict fish traps that total approximately 160,000 pounds. Located in 19 coastal municipalities of Puerto Rico’s jurisdictional waters and in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands' jurisdictional waters, these divers are identifying derelict gear during their daily fishing activities. When they encounter this fishing gear and other marine debris, they mark the coordinates, notify Conservación ConCiencia, and activate a removal plan.

In addition to removing derelict gear, project partners are also working with local fishers and rangers from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to co-develop community outreach and educational activities aimed at preventing and reducing derelict gear. Project partners are implementing a fishing trap trade-in program in coordination with outreach about legal gear regulations. This education focuses on preventing and deterring the use of illegal equipment, and reducing the reaccumulation of marine debris in the future.

For more information, visit the Marine Debris Program Clearinghouse.