A NATIONAL CLEANUP REMOVED 24,000 GHOST TRAPS—AND FUNDED 11 MORE PROJECTS.
Old fishing gear came out. Data, habitat and coastal jobs moved in.
In two years, a VIMS-led national program recovered more than 24,000 abandoned traps, recorded nearly 36,000 animals caught in ghost gear and supported more than 135 jobs. A third funding round adds 11 projects in seven states.
WHAT HAPPENED
The Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment and Prevention Program combines local cleanup crews with standardized data collection. Its first two years removed almost 600,000 pounds of gear across 15 U.S. states and Freely Associated States. Roughly $1.24 million in new awards is expected to remove another 15,450 traps and create or sustain 128 jobs.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
Ghost gear keeps fishing after people stop using it. This program pays local crews to remove that hidden pressure while turning each recovery into evidence for prevention. It links habitat repair, working-waterfront livelihoods and better national data—practical progress that can compound even though the scale of abandoned gear remains large.
ORIGINAL SOURCEVirginia Institute of Marine Science / NOAA Marine Debris ProgramRead the original report
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