Reducing Marine Debris, Increasing Environmental Stewardship
Tampa Bay Watch is proposing to comprehensively address discernible marine debris issues in the Tampa Bay region by implementing a community-based action project. This project will be accomplished in three specific and extensive marine debris removal efforts, with the collective goals of removing marine debris, reducing impacts to wildlife, and cleaning the waters of the Tampa Bay estuary. These three efforts include:
1) Coastal Cleanup events that will be implemented via two methods. First, involving community volunteers for three large-scale cleanups per year at various locations, joining forces in part with National Estuaries Week and International Coastal Cleanup in September 2018. The second will facilitate unique and more frequent community trash removal efforts from a debris-collecting Watergoat Structure after heavy rainfalls.
2) A summer derelict crab trap removal to remove out of season stone crab traps in July 2018 as well as a derelict blue crab trap removal effort in early 2019;
3) Seasonal fishing line cleanups throughout Tampa Bay, as well as monitoring and maintenance of existing monotubes and the addition of new tubes as needed.