CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (AP)   A lobster industry group says it removed the biggest example of derelict fishing gear from the Gulf of Maine in at least ten years.

The Portland Press Herald reports the old gear was essentially a two-ton ball of underwater marine debris. It measured 15 feet in diameter and was pulled from Dyer Cove off Cape Elizabeth on Tuesday.

Removing “ghost gear” from waters has been a focus of Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation for a decade. Lobstermen, divers and environmentalists took hours to lift the fishing ropes, nets and traps from 35 feet of water on Tuesday. It had to be hauled to a wharf so it could be cut into small pieces and brought ashore for recycling.

Old fishing gear can be a hazard for animals and boaters.