Volunteers get down and dirty to remove a 500-foot gillnet from the Indian River Lagoon.

DEP Estuarine Ecologist Dana Moller found the net while conducting an Indian River lagoon bird survey on St. Lucie County spoil islands. Dressed over lower branches of red mangroves surrounding conservation island SL 12, Moller estimated the derelict 200-foot gillnet had been there for some time, but was still trapping and killing wildlife. Moller is a projects coordinator for the Southeast Florida Aquatic Preserves Field Office in Ft. Pierce.

Courtesy of Spoil Island Project

Recent uncommonly high tides in the Lagoon apparently tangled the net in the mangroves—a stroke of luck that uncovered a long-time clandestine fish and bird killer.

Volunteers were called to action to get in the cold water, remove the net, and get dirty in the process. Adventure Kayaking, along with a group of Spoil Island Enhancement Project volunteers, obliged. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were on site as well.

The monofilament net, strewn with bird and fish skeletons, proved to be 500 feet long with 3-inch pulled mesh. Volunteers saved fish and crabs, and even relocated entangled oysters to the North Bridge boat ramp oyster reef project with the help of Jim Oppenborn, St. Lucie County Artificial Reef Program coordinator.

“I was very happy to get this done quickly,” Moller said, “although the net was hidden for years.”