— from Russel Barsh —

An 80-foot seine net used by the Indian Island Marine Health Observatory has disappeared from its storage site at Eastsound’s county park. The large white net and its olive green plastic tub or raft has been used for six years to monitor the health of fish populations around Indian Island, and has been a popular element of public outreach and education activities.

While the net is old and patched, the cost of replacing it and its raft is more than $900, a heavy burden for a local volunteer program.

Return of the net, or information leading to its return or recovery, would be greatly appreciated by this community science program, which cannot complete this summer’s fish monitoring without it. Contact kwiaht@gmail.com.