OCTOBER 21, 2016--On October 14, NOAA Marine Debris Program Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator, Nir Barnea, joined the Fishing for Energy partners for a derelict fishing gear collection bin launch event at the Maritime Museum Hall in Westport, WA.

The event was attended by 30 people, including Congressmen Derek Kilmer, Port Commissioner Jack Thomson, local fishermen, representatives from a NOAA Marine Debris Program funded crab pot removal project, and Fishing for Energy Partnership representatives. Short speeches were followed by questions and discussion about the use of the bin and derelict crab pot removal.

The Fishing for Energy bin in Westport is the first in Washington State, and was made possible by the collaboration of the Partnership with the Port of Westport and fishermen in the area. Fishermen will use the bin to dispose of nets, lines, and crab pots that can no longer be used, at no cost to the fishermen. The gear collected in the new bin will be transferred to Schnitzer Steel’s new processing facility in Tacoma, WA where metal debris such as crab pots will be recycled and nets and lines will be shredded and transported to Covanta’s waste to energy facility in Marion County, Oregon to generate electricity. The new bin will enable derelict fishing gear to be channeled for recycling and energy, rather than disposed at landfills.

For more information about the event please contact Nir.Barnea@noaa.gov.

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