Ghost Gear Removals

In partnership with the Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/ Chek'tles7et'h' First Nation and Hesquiaht First Nation, Rugged Coast received funding from Fisheries and Ocean Canada’s Ghost Gear Fund to locate and remove ghost gear from Kyuquot Sound and Hesquiaht Harbour.

From October 2022 to February 2023, Rugged Coast conducted survey and retrieval operations using side-scan sonar and a submersible ROV to conduct benthic substrate analysis and locate, ground truth and remove derelict fishing nets and traps on the west coast of Vancouver Island, resulting in the removal of 1.5 tonnes of ghost gear from the marine environment.