Professional divers will soon be ridding Puget Sound of some of its “derelict gear,” the technical name given to the hundreds of tons of fishing debris — such as lost or abandoned nets and crab pots — that poses a significant threat to salmon and other native wildlife.

The Northwest Straits Commission (NWSC), which includes the Marine Resources Committee of Island County and six other counties around Northern Puget Sound, received a $75,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to start a derelict gear pilot program. These funds will by matched by NWSC through non-federal grants.

Although it is not exactly an environmental hot topic, derelict gear is widespread throughout Puget Sound, said NWSC director Tom Cowan.

“It’s a huge problem,” he said. “What we’re primarily concerned about is lost nets, gill nets and purse-seiner nets.”

Cowan said fishing debris, accumulated over decades, kills fish, shellfish, marine birds and mammals, either by trapping them in pots or tangling them in nets. Cowan said the project goal is to remove 12 tons of the stuff.

“It’s going to take a concentrated effort over quite a period of time to remove the gear,” Cowan said.

Don Meehan, financial officer for Island County MRC, said it is not known how much derelict gear exists around Whidbey Island. Because fishing tends to be heavier on the west side of the island, researchers expect it to be an area where debris is more concentrated.

“We are anxious to get a better understanding of it,” he said.

Meehan said the project, however extensive it turns out to be locally, will go a long way towards preserving existing habitats.

“This project actually removes existing hazards to sea life with direct immediate benefit,” he said.

Before any removal occurs, however, researchers must develop a project protocol on how to go about it. It has never been done before and it is dangerous work, only to be undertaken by experienced commercial divers.

The first step, then, is to locate and map as much debris as possible. After that, the NWSC staff will plan how to bring the derelict gear to the surface and dispose of it.

Cowan also hopes the program will enlighten the public about an environmental crisis that has not received much attention in the past. One reason for this, he said, is that unacknowledged problems do not usually get much funding.

“This has never been on the radar screen before in any significant way,” Cowan said. “It’s never been a real priority with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

With the dwindling salmon population receiving so much attention in recent years, Cowan said the accidental fish kill is counterproductive.