PROVINCETOWN – The Center for Coastal Studies is continuing a project to find, document, and properly remove fishing gear from Cape Cod Bay.
The center’s Marine Debris and Plastics Program has been completing this work for nearly a decade in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species that is known to come to the Cape and Islands region.
Fishing gear entanglements are a threat to the species.
Areas where lost and abandoned gear is suspected to be located are scanned, before recovery teams move in when right whales are not present and retrieve the items. From there, the gear is recycled, disposed of, or returned to owners.
According to the Center for Coastal Studies, many pieces of gear this year will be given to artists for use in their pieces of work.
Over the years, the center said that they’ve collected more than 40 tons of lost fishing gear through the program.
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