Provincetown Receives Funding to Remove, Recycle and Recover Energy from Old Fishing Gear

Provincetown is the first recipient of Fishing for Energy partnership grant dollars

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Sep 10, 2010, 03:01 ET

PROVINCETOWN, Mass., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts port of Provincetown is receiving the first grant award of the Fishing for Energy initiative, a program which has provided commercial fishermen a cost-free way to recycle old and unusable fishing gear at 11 Massachusetts ports. The grant will be used to improve efforts to remove derelict fishing gear from the waters between Long Point and the breakwater in Provincetown harbor. This announcement marks an expansion of the partnership into support of derelict gear removal efforts in addition to the dumpster bin placements for retired gear.

Fishing for Energy is a partnership between Covanta Energy (Covanta), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, and Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. It was established in 2008 to reduce the financial burden imposed on commercial fishermen when disposing of old, derelict (gear that is lost in the marine environment), or unusable fishing gear and thereby reduce the amount of gear that ends up in U.S. coastal waters. The gear from this project will then be collected at the port to be stripped of metals for recycling with the help of Schnitzer Steel and processed into clean, renewable energy at the Covanta SECONN Energy-from-Waste facility in Preston, CT.

The partnership is awarding a grant of $35,600 to the Provincetown Harbormaster, which will help facilitate the removal of derelict fishing gear from Provincetown area waters. The port has been a participant in the Fishing for Energy program since 2008, and has collected and properly disposed of over 13 tons of commercial fishing gear through the program.

Speaking on behalf of the partnership, Dr. Lisa DiPinto, Acting Director of the Marine Debris Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, "We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with the fishing community in the Fishing for Energy program. The prospect of local fishermen having a free and easily accessible place to discard old fishing gear and marine debris, and consequently protecting the marine environment that is so important to their livelihoods and helping create clean, renewable energy is an idea that we all can be proud of."

By investing in removal efforts, more gear can be taken out of the marine environment and put into the collection bins at the port. Abandoned or lost fishing equipment can threaten marine life in a number of ways; by damaging ecosystems as nets and heavy equipment settle upon the ocean floor or through 'ghost fishing,' wherein a net continues to catch fish, even if abandoned or lost. Gear can also impact navigational safety, damage fishing equipment and boats that are in use, and have economic repercussions on fishing and shipping enterprises and coastal communities.

"We are honored to be continuing our partnership with the Fishing for Energy partners and the Provincetown fishing fleet for this marine debris recovery and collection program. We will now be able to expand our efforts to known impacted areas with these new grant dollars," said Provincetown Harbormaster Rex McKinsey.

Fishing for Energy thrives due to extensive cooperation between government, private, public and local organizations. The diversity and unparalleled expertise of the partners results in a unique, community-focused program that addresses a marine environmental issue, reduces costs for small commercial fishing businesses and recycles metal and recovers energy from the remaining material.

Since launching in 2008, Fishing for Energy has reeled in more than 410 tons of old fishing gear, a portion of which has been retrieved directly from the ocean by fishermen. In 2010, Fishing for Energy was awarded the prestigious Coastal America Partnership Award, which is presented to groups that restore and protect coastal ecosystems through collaborative action and partnership. The partnership recently expanded to include the grant program that directly supports efforts to remove derelict fishing gear from U.S. coastal waters and will continue to partner with new ports to promote retired or derelict fishing gear collection through community education and outreach. For more information on the partnership visit: www.nfwf.org/fishingforenergy.

About Covanta

Covanta Energy is an internationally recognized owner and operator of large-scale Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects and a recipient of the Energy Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Covanta's 45 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities with an environmentally sound solution to their solid waste disposal needs by using that municipal solid waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta's modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 20 million tons of waste into more than 9 million megawatt hours of clean renewable electricity and create 10 billion pounds of steam that are sold to a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.covantaholding.com.

About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

A nonprofit established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation sustains, restores and enhances the Nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Through leadership conservation investments with public and private partners, NFWF is dedicated to achieving maximum conservation impact by developing and applying best practices and innovative methods for measurable outcomes. Since its establishment, NFWF has awarded nearly 9,500 grants to over 3,000 organizations in the United States and abroad and leveraged – with its partners – more than $400 million in federal funds into more than $1.3 billion for on-the-ground conservation. For more information, visit www.nfwf.org.

About NOAA

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program, housed within the Office of Response & Restoration, coordinates, strengthens, and increases the visibility of marine debris issues and efforts within the agency, its partners, and the public. The program supports activities at both a national and international level focused on identifying, reducing and preventing debris from entering the marine environment. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) protects coastal and marine resources, mitigates threats, reduces harm, and restores ecological function. The Office provides comprehensive solutions to environmental hazards caused by oil, chemicals, and marine debris. For more information, visit: www.noaa.gov.

About Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc.

Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of recycled ferrous metal products in the United States with 42 operating facilities located in 14 states throughout the country, including seven export facilities located on both the East and West Coasts and in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The Company's vertically integrated operating platform also includes its auto parts and steel manufacturing businesses. The Company's auto parts business sells used auto parts through its 45 self-service facilities located in 14 states and in western Canada. With an effective annual production capacity of approximately 800,000 tons, the Company's steel manufacturing business produces finished steel products, including rebar, wire rod and other specialty products. The Company commenced its 104th year of operations in fiscal 2010.

SOURCE Covanta Holding Corporation