Championing the future of ghost pot recovery through the implementation of remotely operated vehicles and community science models

This research explores using an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and community science models to aid ghost pot location and recovery efforts in coastal communities. Ghost pots are a form of ghost fishing gear and, commonly refer to crab pots that are lost, discarded, or abandoned. This creates a cycle of marine habitat destruction through the continued entrapment of marine life. Current ghost pot location and recovery methods are expensive and coastal communities often lack access to side scan sonars, recovery permits, trained divers, and GIS datasets. This project addresses these challenges by proposing a new method to solve this growing problem in a more accessible and inexpensive way through marine technology innovation and community science.This research is being conducted over two years as part of a multi-stage pilot project with the support of the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee. The technologies implemented in the project include an award winning custom ROV and crowd sourced app. This app, which specifically targets divers, fishermen, and beach-goers, is being developed to incentivize community engagement in the location of ghost pots through interactive challenges. Though many derelict gear hotlines currently exist, countless incidents go unreported. By gamifying a reporting system using leaderboards, community dive events, and award systems, the goal is to amplify the number of ghost pot reports and select study sites without having to undertake extensive surveying measures. Once a search zone has been narrowed, using data collected through the app, the ROV can complete a search transect to locate and recover ghost pots. By utilizing a volunteer network, engaging student roboticists, and building community partnerships, we are creating a community-driven location and recovery model.