Discarded Fishing Net Removed in Keys

A thousand-pound fishing net and a thousand-pound buoy produced weighty concerns for managers of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary who protect coral reefs. The items were carried onto the reef tract in the wake of a holiday cold front that moved through the area, it is believed, and both have now been removed.

While many Key Westers welcomed New Year’s Day by sleeping in, local charter captain Brice Barr was up and at ‘em on the water and at the helm of his popular Double Down fishing boat. It didn’t take long for the president of the Key West Charter Boat Association to locate his catch of the day. Near Eastern Dry Rocks Sanctuary Preservation Area, Barr spotted a ball of red buoys, almost a hundred in number, floating above a derelict fishing net lodged on the sea floor in about 60 feet of water.

“I saw it through my binoculars and didn’t know what it was so we went over to take a closer look,” said Barr. “My charter was thinking we could lift it into the boat but I said, ‘no that ain’t happening.’ I wanted to at least get it back into the sand but couldn’t move it.”

Although the net was lodged in a stationary location, its potential release was a threat to nearby coral restoration taking place at Eastern Dry Rocks, where more than 30,000 baby corals have been out planted under the Mission: Iconic Reefs effort. Barr notified FWC and NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary staff, where Regional Response Coordinator Lisa Symons quickly organized a solution. First, Symons connected with potential salvors to obtain a quote for the cost of removal, and then set out to find the money. That’s when the board of the Marine Preservation Society of the Florida Keys, a new nonprofit, quickly reviewed and chose to approve the request for funds. 

“We live here and give here,” said society chairman Tom Davidson, Jr. “Reacting quickly to this kind of need is at the heart of our mission.”

With the cost approved, Key West Harbor Services tackled the job on January 5, retrieving and hauling the net to its Stock Island facility, where it was estimated to weigh more than a thousand pounds and measured more than 30 feet in length.

“This net had been in the water for one to two weeks based on the amount of sea life growing on it,” said Symons. “It’s a type of gill net used on commercial fishing boats, which are prohibited in state of Florida waters. Their use is regulated in federal waters by the fishery management councils and the NOAA National Marine Fishery Service. We are working with NOAA oceanographers to do a hindcast model to try to determine where it may have been lost or cut loose.”

The net was recovered in 30 feet of water about 150 yards from a SPA mooring buoy. The unidentified boat from which it came is subject to civil penalties for discharging debris into the sanctuary, and anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to phone NOAA’s Law Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. 

“This story is a good reminder that if you see something, say something,” said Sanctuary Superintendent Sarah Fangman, “It ended well because of quick action by Brice Barr, and we are grateful to him and his colleagues who provide critical eyes on the water. Along with the rapid response from the Marine Preservation Society, we’re in good hands in the Florida Keys.” 

Meanwhile, a pair of marker buoys that delineate the boundary of Dry Tortugas National Park were lost during the Christmas weather, with one of them lodging on the reef at Carysfort South Sanctuary Preservation Area east of Key Largo, and the other making it to Boynton Beach. Chafing of the buoy line lacerated some of the corals in the Carysfort Sanctuary Preservation Area. 

“We are grateful for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary cooperation and assistance in the recovery of one of our boundary buoys lost in a recent storm,” said Dry Tortugas National Park Superintendent Glenn Simpson. The park funded removal of the buoy, which took place on January 10.

For more information on the Marine Preservation Society, contact Sara Rankin at sararankin@marinesociety.org.