Agency pulls two tons of debris from Richardson Bay

Two small boats, a shopping cart, a PlayStation, outboard engines, portable generators, a baseball bat, an office chair, a floor lamp, an electric keyboard, multiple anchors and a microwave.

Those items were among the more than two tons of debris scuba divers working for the Richardson Bay Regional Agency pulled up from the bay floor last month during a weeklong cleanup of the newly established eelgrass protection zone, according to officials.

The cleanup is in support of a plan to revitalize ecologically vital eelgrass beds damaged by long-term anchoring on Richardson Bay. Last October, the agency officially declared a 300-acre portion of the bay off limits to anchoring and has committed to restoring 15 acres of eelgrass by 2027.

The April cleanup targeted only one acre of bay floor, but future cleanups are planned for later in May and in the summer, officials said.

“Sadly, I’m not surprised at the amount of debris and discarded items we removed from the bay floor,” regional agency Executive Director Brad Gross said in a prepared statement. “We are not accusing anyone of deliberately discarding items overboard. That said, the type and amount of debris littering the bay floor … reinforces the fact that an environmentally sensitive area like Richardson Bay is no place for mariners to permanently reside on vessels at anchor.”

DONATE to support local journalism, or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery and access to the digital replica.

Comment on this article on Nextdoor.