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| Students with a pile of debris removed from Appledore Island (courtesy photo) |
PORTSMOUTH –
After a successful cleanup at Appledore Island in June, in
which 557 pounds of marine debris were removed in five hours, Blue Ocean
Society for Marine Conservation and New Hampshire Sea Grant have set their
sights on three more islands – Star Island, home to the Star Island Family
Retreat and Conference Center, and White and Seavey Islands, home to the Isles’
iconic lighthouse and the Tern Restoration Project.
Recent survey trips to the three islands revealed litter
lying in coves and lodged in rocks, and piles of lobster traps and buoys. Blue
Ocean Society, New Hampshire Sea Grant and Lee Schatvet, captain of the fishing
vessel Yesterday’s Storm, will be working with Star Island and guests of the
Life on a Star conference to clean Star Island on Monday afternoon, followed by
a cleanup on White Island on Tuesday morning, working with Sue Reynolds,
founder of the Lighthouse Kids. The groups are also partnering with New
Hampshire Fish and Game and NH Marine Patrol on removal of abandoned fishing
gear on the islands.
“Our hope is to survey and remove litter and derelict
fishing gear on the Isles of Shoals this year with the goal of protecting
wildlife and the people that visit the Isles,” said Jen Kennedy, Blue Ocean
Society’s executive director.
“Next year, we hope to return and re-survey the areas to see how quickly
marine debris is accumulating on these islands, and where ‘hot spots’ might
be.”
Marine debris can be hazardous to wildlife through ingestion
or entanglement, and can cause problems for boaters, fishermen and
beachgoers. The Isles of Shoals,
which are home to a variety of seabirds, including a large population of
nesting great black-backed gulls and herring gulls, plus common, roseate and
Arctic terns, are located within popular fishing grounds and are situated just
inshore of Jeffrey’s Ledge, an important whale feeding ground.
While green initiatives like solar and wind power, water
conservation, and composting are common practices at Appledore, Star and White
Islands, the shoreline is victim to litter carelessly dumped from boaters and
beachgoers, and fishing gear that is washed ashore by storms.
“Removing derelict fishing gear and other land based and
ocean based debris is really important on these islands because debris can and
has remained here for years.
Accumulation of litter and fishing gear over time is a real hazard to
the species that reside on and around the islands” said Dr. Gabriela Bradt,
fisheries specialist from New Hampshire Sea Grant.”
Sue Reynolds, founder of the Lighthouse Kids, added
“Lighthouse Kids works in partnership with the State of New Hampshire, owners
of White Island. The island is a
national historic treasure. For
the past ten years restoration has been ongoing, after years of abandonment. Ben Wilson, Bureau of Historic
Resources, Department of Resources and Economic Development and Lighthouse Kids
Stewards on White Island have been working to clean up the island. It is a huge undertaking, slow and
tedious, so the help of Blue Ocean Society is truly appreciated.”
The project is conducted with funding from the Fishing for
Energy Partnership and NOAA that was granted to the Marine Debris to Energy
Project, a partnership between Blue Ocean Society, NH Sea Grant, UNH
Cooperative Extension and Dr. Jenna Jambeck at the University of Georgia. The
goal of the project is to monitor and remove marine debris from the coastline
and local waters from southern Maine to northern Massachusetts. With the help
of local fishermen and volunteers, more than 115 tons of marine debris have
been removed from the ocean since 2008.
The Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a
Portsmouth-based non-profit organization that is celebrating its 10th
anniversary as a non-profit organization this year. Its mission is to protect marine mammals in the Gulf of
Maine through education, research and conservation.
For more information on the project, visit
nhmarinedebris.org or blueoceansociety.org or call 603-431-0260.
