Barnegat Light to recycle old fishing gear

Gear collected at the port will be stripped of metals for recycling with the help of Schnitzer Steel and processed into clean, renewable energy at the Covanta Union Energy-from-Waste facility in Rahway, NJ.

Fishing for Energy is a partnership between the Fairfield, NJ-based Covanta Energy (Covanta), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, and Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.

It was established in 2008 to reduce the financial burden imposed on commercial fishermen when disposing of old, derelict (gear that is lost in the marine environment), or unusable fishing gear and thereby reduce the amount of gear that ends up in US coastal waters.

At a ceremony held this morning at Old Borough Hall in Barnegat Light, the partnership installed a collection bin for old, abandoned or lost fishing gear from area commercial fishermen.

Speaking on behalf of the partnership, Paul Gilman, chief sustainability officer of Covanta Energy said: "We are delighted to continue the expansion of Fishing for Energy with the addition of a new port in New Jersey. Local fishermen will now have a free and easily accessible place to discard old fishing gear and marine debris, consequently protecting the marine environment that is so important to their livelihoods and helping create clean, renewable energy."

By placing the collection bin at the port, it makes it easy for fishermen to participate, significantly increasing the likelihood that derelict gear does not end up in the marine environment.

Abandoned or lost fishing equipment can threaten marine life in a number of ways; by damaging ecosystems as nets and heavy equipment settle upon the ocean floor or through 'ghost fishing,' wherein a net continues to catch fish, even if abandoned or lost.

Gear can also impact navigational safety, damage fishing equipment and boats that are in use, and have economic repercussions on fishing and shipping enterprises and coastal communities.

Kirk Larson, mayor of Barnegat Light and a commercial fisherman is very familiar with old and abandoned gear disposal. "In the past, we had to pay for the gear to be disposed of in a landfill or worse yet - it could have ended up in the ocean. Fishermen will now have a free place to throw old gear which will be recycled and reused, while helping to keep our fishing waters clean. We're excited about the programme coming to our port and see this as a win-win situation," stated Larson.

Since launching in 2008, Fishing for Energy has reeled in more than 800,000 pounds of old fishing gear, a portion of which has been retrieved directly from the ocean by fishermen.

In 2010, the programme was awarded the prestigious Coastal America Partnership Award, which is presented to groups that restore and protect coastal ecosystems through collaborative action and partnership.