BAR HARBOR — More than a ton of debris was removed from Mount Desert Island harbors over the weekend by “superheroes” celebrating Earth Day.

Ed “Diver Ed” Monat led 19 divers in the event organized by the League of Underwater Superheroes dive club. Despite drizzly conditions, 37 topside volunteers turned out to help those with scuba gear on 53 expeditions in two days at five locations.

“This year was big,” said Mr. Monat.

Unlike in previous years, the Superheroes orchestrated clean-up events at locations across the Mount Desert Island including the Bar Harbor mooring field, Bartlett’s Landing dock, Great Harbor Marina, Southwest Harbor lower town dock, and the Northeast Harbor Marina. Using Mr. Monat’s boat the Starfish Enterprise, an inflatable motorboat loaned by College of the Atlantic, and other vessels, the group recovered debris from a wide swath of the ocean bottom. Once the items were hauled up, they were taken aboard the various vessels where volunteers helped catalogue the debris and return any sea creatures living inside to the ocean.

“This is our third year doing this and we just love it. We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Melissa Ossanna, who was helping her son Bela sift through a small tub of sea creatures rescued from old CD cases, bottles, beer cans, tires, and batteries that the clean-up crew pulled up onto a Bar Harbor town dock float.

“Bela is master of the critters,” said Ms. Ossanna.

As trash was pulled from the bay, volunteers waited with clipboards to document the items (and the creatures) for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The superheroes group thanked Donna Beals and Carmen Sanford for organizing the Southwest Harbor cleanups, Gordon Robb and Sam Rosen for organizing the Mount Desert cleanups, and Lynne Staggs for all her help.

The group has plans for another clean-up in Tremont on Sunday, April 29.

For more maritime news, pick up a copy of the Mount Desert Islander.