One derelict fishing net: 3500 animals killed

A recent study by the Northwest Straits Initiative has shown that kill rates for derelict fishing gear are much higher than was understood. Animals caught in the nets decompose in as little as ten days. One of the monitored nets is now estimated to have killed some 2,300 fish and 1,200 marine birds in the 15 years it's been in the water.

SeaDoc Society Regional Director Joe Gaydos is quoted in the article. Gaydos is also a member of the Northwest Straits Commission.

Read the full story in the San Juan Journal online, or download the full report of the study, "Rates of Marine Species Mortality Caused by Derelict Fishing Nets in Puget Sound, Washington"