Underwater Debris Removal

scuba divers using pink lift bags to remove tires from the seafloor — Volunteer divers with Bay Area Underwater Explorers (BAUE) use lift bags to remove discarded tires. Photo: Kevin Schapansky/BAUE

Underwater debris, such as tires, ghost fishing gear, and other human-made items, can rest on the seafloor, get caught on rocky reefs, or float in the water column. Underwater debris is a concern for the following reasons:

Debris can create long-term entrapment mechanisms that continuously impact fish and crustaceans for many years. Fishing net and line materials are constructed to be strong and resilient which can prevent the escape of entangled wildlife and persist in the environment.
Nets and traps have also been documented to impact bottom-feeding whales and other marine mammals, becoming tangled on the animal’s body.
Lost fishing gear can cause hazards to fishing gear being actively used by fishermen. For example, lost traps may snag additional traps being set nearby, creating a safety hazard.

fishing nets, traps, and line resting on a dock — Recovered fishing gear from deep water habitats in the sanctuary. Photo: Karen Grimmer/NOAA

scuba diver with a flashlight and a data slate and meter stick examines old tire on the seafloor — Divers survey and retrieve abandoned tires which contribute to ocean pollution and pose a threat to underwater habitats. Photo: Robert Lee/BAUE

How is the Sanctuary Involved?

Staff collaborate with trained volunteer divers and support vessels, after careful planning and obtaining required permits and authorizations, that work to remove underwater debris with specialized equipment. In 2022, volunteer divers with Bay Area Underwater Explorers recovered 80 pounds of ghost fishing gear, either discarded, lost, or abandoned, in deep waters that was snagged on a rocky reef on the sanctuary seafloor.

In 2022, volunteer divers with Bay Area Underwater Explorers worked to recover 80 pounds of ghost fishing gear, either discarded, lost, or abandoned, in deep waters that was snagged on a rocky reef on the sanctuary seafloor.