Fate of radio-tagged trawl web on an Alaskan beach

Thirty-five fragments of trawl web were radio-tagged on Kayak Island, Alaska, to determine their fate once stranded ashore. Tagged fragments placed in the immediate study area were monitored daily by a remote tracking station (RTS) from August 1994 to May 1995. Ground and aerial surveys in June 1995 located fragments that had moved out of the reception range of the RTS. Of the 35 tagged fragments, 18 (51%) remained on Kayak Island, whereas the whereabouts of 17 (49%) fragments were undetermined. Most fragments not relocated were lost during severe fall storms. Tagged fragments that remained on Kayak Island moved an average of 2.0 km from their original tagging location. Fragments not relocated were smaller ( = 1.25 kg) than those found ( = 6.28 kg). Missing fragments were likely washed back to sea. To reduce entanglement hazards to marine life, stranded trawl web should be removed from beaches during clean-ups to prevent possible reentry into the ocean.