Fishermen and volunteers clear lobster traps across the coast Saturday afternoon

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Twenty-five volunteers from Santa Barbara Channelkeeper paired with fishermen and Tidy Seas to remove over 50 lobster traps between Goleta Beach and More Mesa on Saturday afternoon.

This marked the fourth year of trap cleanups for fishermen and volunteers but the first for Tidy Seas as part of the operation.

Storms and waves can send traps ashore during lobster season and can pose safety hazards to boats, marine life, beachgoers and wildlife if not cleared regularly.

Each fishing season, about 6,500 traps get lost off the state's coastlines and community efforts like these help keep beaches safe for all.

Two boats took traps from volunteers who carried them over to Santa Barbara Harbor for proper disposal. Trash, metal fencing and construction material were also removed in the cleanup.

“This cleanup was a great success. We’re happy to partner with local fishermen to remove the traps that washed ashore,” said Channelkeeper’s Program Assistant Veronica Moran. “We also appreciate the outstanding volunteer effort. Some traps are buried in the sand, and it takes a lot of work to dig them out. By working together, we were able to remove approximately 2,500 pounds of fishing gear that could have remained on the beach for years.”