Cleanup removes fishing gear, lawn chair and other debris from Sarasota Bay

After each trip down to Sarasota Bay’s bottom, scuba divers surfaced with more trash. 

Kayakers ferried the garbage to the shore, where volunteers hefted it for sorting, recording and disposal. 

This year’s Sarasota Bay Watch Underwater Cleanup tackled the area offshore from New Pass at City Island and Ken Thompson Park.

Although the June 3 cleanup didn’t begin until 9 a.m., within hours the 49 volunteers had stacked up a large pile of marine debris on shore. There were old fishing nets, lawn furniture, cellphones, electrical wiring, plastic pipes and flashlights. And tangled within the trash was a variety of aquatic life — dozens of starfish, more than 100 crabs and seahorses — some living, some dead.

The discarded fishing gear, like nets, is especially hazardous for marine life, said Ronda Ryan, executive director of Sarasota Bay Watch. It leads to a phenomenon called ghost fishing, where after one fish or crustacean is entangled in a net, further sea life are drawn to the fishing gear and become entangled.

Ryan led the effort onshore to catalog the debris found and the wildlife rescued or found dead. The results will be shared with NOAA and the Ocean Conservancy to help further those organizations' research.

In all the cleanup removed 780 pounds of debris, according to Ryan.

The cleanup was great for the kid volunteers present because it allowed them to see up close the impact of garbage on marine life and ocean habitats, said Ryan.

The day’s effort included 17 divers, five kayakers, two snorkelers, and 25 volunteers working on the shoreline to collect and dispose of debris. The Sarasota Bay Watch partnered with the city of Sarasota, the Sarasota Police Department, Sarasota Sailing Squadron and Scuba Quest.

A dumpster from the city of Sarasota was on hand to assist with disposal. Sarasota Police marine patrol officers maintained a perimeter to protect divers. The police dive squad truck was also on hand to support divers.

“The police are a huge help. They prevent knuckleheads (in boats) from coming into (the cleanup area),” said Al Jeffrey, president of the Sarasota Bay Watch.

The Sarasota Bay Watch holds its annual underwater cleanups in different locations around the bay each year, but typically holds them in May or June when the water is at its clearest, said Jeffrey.