Monterey Bay Ghost Net Removal
Project Overview
Reef Location, just north of Monterey Harbor
This small deep reef just north of Monterey Harbor has been dived by years by technical divers. Recently, divers located an abandoned fishing net covering a section of the southeast end of the reef. Abandoned fishing tackle such as this (also known as “Ghost Nets”) remain a hazard to marine life long after they are lost and left on the reef. Working with Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Foundation and BAUE divers worked together to remove and retrieve the ghost net.
Over the course of several dives, Foundation divers removed over 80lbs of derelict fishing net and tackle.
Recovery
Bathymetry of the site
We first discovered the net in mid 2022 while diving the site, and after documenting it with photographs and video, we reported the net to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) and worked with them to secure permission to remove it. The net itself looked like it was fouled over a portion of the reef roughly 50’x50’, with varying sizes of net involved, as well as approximately 50’-100’ of 1/2” to 3/4” nylon or polypropylene line that was secured to the net as well as some kind of ballast. The net looked like it had been down for a moderate amount of time, though portions of it were still loose enough on the reef that they swayed with the surge.
The location of the net was at the far south-east end of the site known locally as “Kawika’s Gorgonian Garden”, a rocky reef outcropping in the sand/shale substrate of the Monterey bay.
The plan for the recovery would be to use 2 teams of divers to peel the net back from the reef, cutting the material if necessary, and collecting it nearby for removal. We would use a cargo net to collect all of the portions of the net, and then secure the cargo net shut, and use lift-bags to lift the recovered net material and line to the surface where it would be recovered by the boat crew. Removing the net from the reef can create entanglement, visibility, and other hazards, so all divers selected for the recovery were well experienced with working-dives in these types of conditions.
Future Work
Lingcod killed by ghost fishing net
This reef area (and others within the deep shale of Monterey Bay) has lots of other discarded underwater items. Nets, fishing weights, snagged fishing line and tackle, fouled anchors, and household trash items have all been seen. In addition, there are other significant collections of ghost fishing gear, which are still actively killing fish. We intend to continue cleanup efforts of this general area.
Project Team
| Team Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Jim Capwell | Boat Captain |
| Paul Festa | Recovery Diver |
| Zach Gwirtz | Recovery Diver |
| John Heimann | Recovery Diver |
| Allison Lee | Recovery Diver |
| Rob Lee | Recovery Diver |
| Sam MacDonald | Boat Crew |
| Kevin Schapansky | Video Documentation |
| Matt Vandercook | Boat Crew |
Project team, with part of the recovered net