Florida Sea Grant (FSG) is a program within the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences that supports research, education, and outreach focused on the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources. As part of the NOAA-led National Sea Grant College Program, the FSG program in Miami-Dade County collaborates with specific stakeholder groups such as fishermen, divers, and others who rely on the sea for their livelihoods or recreation. FSG partners with Biscayne National Park (BNP), which has been involved in marine debris efforts since 2017, and this collaboration has since evolved into also removing derelict fishing gear. 

As a project partner of the National TRAP program, FSG targets derelict gear within the boundaries of Biscayne National Park, a 173,000 acre stretch of water surrounding the northern part of the Florida Keys, just off of the coast of Miami-Dade County. The team (made up of two full time employees as well as BNP staff) recovers spiny lobster traps via dive teams within the reefs further off the coast, while stone crab and blue crab traps are retrieved from shallower areas closer to shore. The impacts of these traps are visible throughout the underwater park. Visitors snorkeling or diving around the coral reefs are likely to spot some evidence of human impact underwater, whether it be an intact trap, broken pieces of traps, or trap line. Strong water currents drag abandoned traps across the seafloor, crashing into delicate coral reefs in the process. Ropes from derelict traps also pose a threat, entangling sea creatures, mangrove roots or becoming buried beneath the sand on shore – which deters sea turtles from nesting. FSG regularly discovers bycatch, including reef fish such as snapper and grunts, and invertebrates like octopi and crabs in recovered traps. One trap was found with four (very cramped) juvenile nurse sharks stuck inside. 

Retrieval days are tough yet rewarding; Biscayne National Park Fishery & Wildlife Biologist Vanessa McDonough likes to call these excursions “Biscayne Bootcamp.” Working together with Park staff, FSG usually conducts between 4-6 dives upon reaching their target location, hauling up 80-100 lb traps to the surface via inflated lift bags. When they are done for the day, the boats are filled to the brim with recovered gear (“there’s barely room for a flea once we finish,” Ana Zangroniz, Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent, jokes). Recovered traps are taken back to shore, where, after salvaging any reusable parts, the crew properly disposes of the gear. Along with Park employees and volunteers, FSG has contributed to the removal of 296 derelict traps and over 11,000 lbs of trap debris from Park waters and coastal habitats as of September 2025.

Community engagement is crucial to FSG’s marine debris recovery mission. Whether receiving derelict gear reports from locals or connecting with the surrounding community via social media, FSG strikes a delicate balance of raising awareness about derelict fishing gear without placing blame on any specific stakeholder group. Ultimately, FSG hopes that raising awareness about marine debris will help mend the disconnect of this “out of sight, out of mind” issue. Zangroniz explains, “if we can get people to care about trash on the ocean floor the same way that they would on land, then we might start to see some real change.”