The richardson's BAY regional agency will remove at least 30 abandoned and derelict vessels from california's richardson's BAY

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the Richardson's Bay Regional Agency a $732,575 cooperative agreement under the Marine Debris Program. The agency will remove at least 30 abandoned and derelict vessels from Richardson's Bay in California, totaling approximately 200 tons of marine debris. This will improve 13 acres of vital eelgrass habitat that supports hundreds of thousands of waterbirds, commercial and recreational Pacific herring fisheries, and the local maritime economy. As part of the project, the agency will monitor eelgrass cover and waterbird use to track habitat improvements from vessel removal. Additionally, the agency will support prevention efforts through outreach informing vessel owners of proper docking procedures. The two-year project aims to enhance the second largest eelgrass bed in the San Francisco Bay Estuary through debris removal and monitoring, in alignment with the Marine Debris Program's goals of identifying, assessing, and preventing marine debris impacts.

These abandoned and derelict vessels are currently anchored or moored in a vital eelgrass bed and their removal will create long-term protection, including the second largest eelgrass bed in the SAN francisco BAY estuary, hundreds of thousands of waterbirds, commercial and recreational pacific herring fisheries, and the local maritime-based economy. The project estimates these removed vessels will be at least 200 tons of marine debris and improve 13 acres of eelgrass habitat. The expected total weight of debris removed is approximately 200 tons. The project will also have a monitoring and prevention component. The project will monitor eelgrass cover and waterbird use of richardson's BAY to track improvements in the eelgrass bed based on vessel removal. The richardson's BAY regional agency will also support prevention efforts by informing vessel owners of condi