Chatham is chosen as a "Fishing for Energy" port

Photo: Lisa Poole/AP

Fishing for Energy, a partnership to recycle old fishing equipment into energy, said it is expanding to Chatham.

According to the partnership, it is an initiative that is made up of Covanta Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine debris program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.

One goal of the partnership is to help coastal communities reduce the amount of abandoned fishing gear that ends up in the nation's oceans.

Fishing for Energy said in a press release: "Derelict fishing equipment can threaten marine life, impair navigational safety, and have serious economic repercussions on shipping and coastal communities. Since the partnership was launched in February, over 83,000 pounds of fishing nets, trawl gear, crab pots, and line have been collected and converted into energy."

Once removed from the environment, the gear found near Chatham will be shredded at a Schnitzer facility and transported to Covanta's energy-from-waste facility in Haverhill, where it will be converted into clean, renewable energy at no cost to the town, Fishing for Energy said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)