Southampton - Southampton will be the latest community in the Northeast to participate in the innovative partnership that provides a cost-free solution for fishermen to dispose of old fishing gear that is then processed into clean, renewable energy at Covanta Hempstead, an Energy-from-Waste facility located in Westbury, NY.

An initiative between Covanta Energy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program and Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., the Fishing for Energy partnership will place collection bins at the Town of Southampton's Shinnecock Commercial Fishing Dock to collect old, abandoned or lost fishing gear. Also partnering with the program is the Cornell Cooperative Extension's Marine Program, resulting in a diverse, community-focused partnership aimed at reducing the burden of fishing gear disposal on area fishermen.

Abandoned or lost fishing equipment can threaten marine life, impact navigational safety and have economic repercussions on fishing and shipping enterprises and, most importantly, coastal communities.

"In the past, fisherman had to pay for expensive gear disposal out of pocket and this program makes it easy for them to properly dispose of the gear, free of charge," according to James Regan of Covanta, "This can really help the fishing industry reduce costs and also become more sustainable. The gear is also very dangerous to the marine environment when it becomes derelict in the water. Derelict gear can catch non-targeted species, including species that may be listed as endangered and can cause marine mammals to be entangled and drown."

Each ton of gear processed produces enough electricity to power one home for 25-days.

The Fishing for Energy partnership will kick off the marine debris collection program in Southampton on Friday, November 13 with a dock-wide clean-up of old fishing gear and a launch ceremony press conference with representatives from the Town of Southampton, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, NFWF, NOAA, Covanta Energy, Schnitzer Steel, New York State and Suffolk County legislators at the Shinnecock Commercial Dock on Dune Road in Hampton Bays.

For more information on the Fishing for Energy program, go to: www.nfwf.org