Covanta Energy and NOAA begin Fishing for Energy Program

Federal, local and private partners gathered in New Bedford, one of New England’s most productive seaports, to launch “Fishing for Energy,” an effort to work with coastal communities to reduce the amount of abandoned fishing gear that ends up in the nation’s oceans.

Covanta Energy is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Port of New Bedford to remove abandoned gear from the environment.

Abandoned fishing gear poses a threat to public health and the marine environment through the injury and death of marine life, the impact to navigational safety, and adverse effects on shipping and coastal industries that can have serious economic repercussions.

Covanta will work closely with the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission and the local fishing industry to coordinate the removal of abandoned gear from local coastal waters, as well as retiring gear that is no longer fit for use within a fishery. Once removed from the environment, the gear will be transported to Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts which provides electricity for 40,000 homes. Approximately one ton of derelict marine debris equals enough electricity to power one home for 25 days.