The annual Ship Canal clean up event will be Saturday, May 21, and volunteers with small boats are needed.

For the fifteenth year, the Seattle Marine Business Coalition in partnership with the Port of Seattle, the Army Corps of Engineers and Seattle Public Utilities is organizing this event to clean up the Ship Canal from the Hiram Chittenden Locks to the Fremont Bridge.

The annual Ship Canal clean up is intended to bring together members of our maritime community to improve the working waterfront, maintain a healthy marine environment and have fun.

There will be coffee and donuts for the volunteers at the 9 a.m. start time and volunteers will be treated to seafood barbecue after the clean up.

Volunteers should gather at Dock 10 of Fishermen's Terminal to get equipment, bags, grabbers, scoop nets and special instructions. Then all the kayaks, skiffs and other boats will fan out, retrieve debris from the water and shoreline and offload debris to dumpsters aboard mother ships, including several tug boats. Western Towboat's tug Fearless will be among the mother ships.

The organizers want volunteers to signup before the event to ensure there is enough food and supplies.

All participants will be required to sign a release available at Fishermen's Terminal on the morning of the event. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Volunteers should bring work clothes (rubber boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirts) and everyone on the water must wear a floatation device.

Seattle Public Utilities will providing rubber gloves and collection bags. Bring scoop nets, and work gloves if you have them.

For questions and pre-register, please call Lise Kenworthy (206-285-1706) or Mindy Osbjornsen at Foss Maritime (206-281-4725).