IPSWICH, MASS. (WHDH) - Crews were able to reel in a rogue “fishing farm” enclosure near Ipswich on Thursday, removing the floating object that officials said had posed a hazard to boaters while it drifted around New Hampshire and the North Shore in recent days.
Ipswich police said the object had been drifting for about one week when they received a report around 12 p.m. that the enclosure was traveling on an incoming tide near Plum Island Sound.
Describing the item as a “navigational hazard” and a “derelict fishing net cage,” police said crews towed the enclosure to the Eagle Hill Public Landing boat ramp in Ipswich.
Officials said the enclosure was constructed using “PVC type material.”
“This cage was made of plastic and not only was it a safety hazard for all boaters, it was also a potential environmental hazard,” police said in a statement on Facebook. “If it had grounded and broken apart, thousands of pounds of plastic would have been forever in our rivers and marshes.”
The Ipswich Department of Public Works will now handle disposal of the object, according to police.
“Great team work today by the Police and DPW to solve this week long issue that unfortunately found it’s way to us,” police said.
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