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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.
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