Latest news with #CenterforCoastalStudies'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
86 tons of ghost gear removed from Cape Cod Bay since 2013. Crews pulled up more Tuesday.
A bounty of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear was unloaded at MacMillan Pier in Provincetown Tuesday afternoon. Known as ghost gear, the equipment was recovered in and around Provincetown Harbor by a team from the Center for Coastal Studies' Marine Debris and Plastics Program. The crew started around 7 a.m. and arrived back at the dock after 1 p.m. More than 20 lobster traps, along with fishing ropes and some netting, were found. Since 2013, more than 86 tons of ghost gear have been removed from Cape Cod Bay, according to a press release from the Center for Coastal Studies. The Marine Debris and Plastics Program will continue its work through April. This is the 10th year for the center's ghost gear removal program in Massachusetts. Ghost gear is primarily comprised of plastic, said Laura Ludwig, director of the Marine Debris and Plastics Program, in a phone interview Wednesday morning. Plastic is the main focus of this program, she said. The agency wants to remove the large pieces of debris before it becomes microplastics in the ocean. This is a way to help clean up the ocean, she said. Ghost gear is typically found on the ocean floor, Ludwig said, adding that — despite some misconceptions — it is not the cause of whale entanglements. Entanglements are caused by active fishing gear, she said. "We're providing a service for the fishing industry and the habitat," she said. The program is supported by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program with additional funding from the Bilezikian Family Foundation. On some of the recovery trips, side-scan sonar surveys are used to identify targets in areas identified by fisherman as likely locations to find the ghost gear. They'll be looking for the gear in Cape Cod Bay, Boston Harbor and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. All of the recovered gear will be brought into piers in Provincetown, Boston and Sandwich. The gear will be sorted and documented and, when possible, returned to their owners. Other debris will disposed of by recycling or incineration. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: What to know about ghost gear hauled from Provincetown Harbor Tuesday
Miami Herald
17-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Endangered creature surfaces off MA coast, then mom appears. See ‘exciting' photo
Researchers spotted a North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf off the coast of Massachusetts, marking the first regional calf sighting of the season. 'The first sighting of mother/calf pairs in Cape Cod Bay each season is always an exciting moment that brings hope for the species,' Daniel Palacios, director of the Center for Coastal Studies' Right Whale Ecology Program, said in a March 11 news release. Palacios said the observation 'confirms successful calving' in the region, which is significant due to the right whales' status as a critically endangered species. 'Every birth is vital for population recovery,' Palacios said. According to the Center for Coastal Studies, there are fewer than 372 surviving North Atlantic right whales. Ryan Schosberg, a right whale researcher at the center, said his team was on its last trip of the day when it saw the pair of whales. 'To our surprise, a relatively small animal surfaced,' Schosberg said in the release. 'A few minutes later, the mother, who we identified as Nauset, surfaced next to the calf, as she took a brief pause from feeding beneath the surface.' Nauset is a 31-year-old North Atlantic right whale who was first seen as a calf in 1994, researchers said. She has birthed a recorded five calves over the last two decades. Cape Cod Bay is one of the most popular places for right whales to eat during winter and early spring, according to experts. Researchers at the Center for Coastal Studies have seen more than 80 right whales in the bay this year. What to know about right whales North Atlantic right whales were put on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List as a critically endangered species in July 2020. At that time, the total population of the species had declined by approximately 15% since 2011, experts said. Climate change, entanglement in fishing gear, lower reproduction rates and vessel strikes are all reasons the population has decreased, according to experts.
