Cigarette butts, cups and fishing line were among the finds Saturday, as Ron Allison and Ed DeSantis scoured a section of the St. Clair River waterfront.
The Bluewater Anglers members were two of about 15 people participating in the club’s annual cleanup.
“It’s just to clean up after our (salmon) derby,” said event organizer Ross Bishop, with the club.
Worm cups, beverage containers and the like often get left behind as anglers pack the waterway, he said, adding the cleanup is also about showing gratitude to Point Edward for hosting the club’s fish hatchery by the Blue Water Bridge.
“We don’t like to leave the image the anglers are leaving a mess on the waterfront,” Allison said.
In past years, dozens have attended cleanups in April, and as many as 50 bags have been collected along the waterfront in Point Edward and towards downtown Sarnia, Bishop said.
The event that’s happened for at least the past 15 years was moved to June in 2022 to take advantage of better weather, he said.
In previous years, cleaners have found things like a carpet and a train wheel.
At least for Allison and DeSantis, there were no such unusual finds Saturday, Allison said.
“Thank goodness the waterfront is kept in really good shape by Point Edward and the city,” he said. “That minimizes what we have to do to keep it clean.”
Another cleanup earlier this month, hosted by the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce and Imperial Oil, saw 73 students from King George VI and Bridgeview schools collect more than 138 pounds of waste from Canatara Beach in one hour. The June 6 haul included a tire, officials said in a news release.
“We are pleased to be able to hold an event like this to educate students and highlight how we all need to keep our beautiful Great Lake beaches clean,” chamber CEO Carrie McEachran said in the release.