Elsewhere, planes will search for buoys, and notify boats to pick them up. There is also a hot line for people to phone in sightings.

At the port of Newport, where the crab pot project was announced, hundreds of derelict pots — found by sheer luck or happenstance — are stacked in a parking lot. They show signs of months and years on the ocean bottom.

Some have scollop shells inside. Others are covered in lacy white growths, the egg casing of whelk snails.

"Marine debris is a global problem that affects the environment, human safety and commerce," said Lubchenco. "Nets and lines can be hazardous to recreational and commercial vessels, and a direct threat to swimmers, divers and marine mammals."

Oregon officials hope the fishing industry will take over after the stimulus money runs out at the end of 2010, said Ed Bowles, fisheries administrator for department.

"This provides the opportunity and the resources for the fishing industry to really step up and develop techniques and expertise to clean up and reduce their contribution to marine debris into the future," he said.