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By Rachel McAlpine, Marketing Manager, Tritech
Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-foot Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing.
Ghost gear is lost or discarded fishing equipment—nets, ropes, and abandoned traps or pots—that continues to fish long after being lost or discarded, sometimes for years. The unfortunate result is the quiet killing of fish, turtles, lobster, crabs, and entangling mammals such as seals, whales, and dolphins.