The Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter will be hosting an open to the public general meeting on Wednesday, May 15, at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road. People start gathering at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7 p.m.

The guest speaker will be Andrew Mason, the Pacific Northwest regional coordinator and Pacific Region team lead for the Marine Debris Program with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

His presentation will provide an overview of the impacts of human-made debris in the world’s oceans. He will cover the issues of improperly discarded or lost debris, including contaminants, in the ocean and Puget Sound. It is a common problem that impacts marine species and human use of oceans every day, club members said.

The Puget Sound is no exception and has its own unique marine debris challenges as has been evidenced by the derelict pot issue initiated by the NOP PSA chapter for Sequim and Dungeness bays over the past two years.

Mason has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in marine environmental science from the University of Maryland. He has been conducting research for NOAA on marine issues, including marine debris, since 2002.

The group will also have a short business meeting, fishing reports, and raffle drawings following his talk.

The “big ticket” raffle will be a Tanacom 750 electric reel and a halibut rod.

All raffle drawings are for members only, thought attendees can join that night to participate. An annual individual membership is $25, and a family membership is $35. Membership also includes The Reel News monthly newspaper.