Grantee Spotlight: Remote Ecologist
Marine debris comes in many forms, including abandoned lobster traps. Currently, hundreds of thousands of abandoned lobster pots line the bottom of the Long Island Sound. Many of them have been there for decades, lost or abandoned. They continued to trap lobsters unintentionally and the trapped animals ultimately die.
An organization called Remote Ecologist tackles marine debris in Long Island Sound, including derelict traps. The current methods for trap removal rely on grappling. Grappling involves dragging a hook along a soft seafloor to snag lines or other parts of the lobster traps. But grappling doesn’t work on rocky seafloors or jetties, where a lot of traps are congregated. MDF provided funding to Remote Ecologist to support local divers to remove abandoned lobster pots from these rocky areas. We’re looking forward to Remote Ecologist’s final tally, which we’ll receive—and share with you—this spring. In the meantime, meet Dave Hudson, a Remote Ecologist diver, as he plunges into the chilly Long Island Sound. https://www.instagram.com/cfe.savethesound/reel/DGD1fzup2Np/