Ghost fishing gear is a significant environmental issue in marine environments. This persistent problem involves fishing equipment no longer under control, continuing to impact ocean ecosystems. Addressing this challenge requires immediate, collaborative efforts across various sectors.
Understanding Ghost Fishing Gear
Ghost fishing gear refers to any fishing equipment lost, abandoned, or discarded in the marine environment. This includes fishing nets (like gillnets and trawl nets), various lines (such as longlines), and traps (like crab and lobster pots). These materials, often durable synthetic plastics, withstand harsh marine conditions and can persist in the ocean for decades, even centuries. The term “ghost” highlights how this gear continues to operate indiscriminately, capturing marine life long after separation from a vessel.
How Fishing Gear Becomes Lost
Fishing gear becomes lost or abandoned through several mechanisms, both accidental and intentional. Environmental factors play a role, with severe weather, strong currents, and rough seas often sweeping gear away. Operational accidents also contribute; gear can snag on underwater obstructions like reefs or shipwrecks, or be lost due to vessel collisions and equipment malfunctions. Conflicts between different types of fishing gear or vessels can also lead to entanglement and loss. While less common, deliberate abandonment or improper disposal of damaged or unwanted gear occurs, sometimes driven by a lack of adequate port disposal facilities or economic pressures.
The Harm to Marine Life and Ecosystems
The impacts of ghost fishing gear on marine ecosystems and wildlife are severe. Lost gear continues to “fish” indiscriminately, a phenomenon known as ghost fishing, trapping and killing marine animals including fish, crustaceans, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds. This often leads to a cycle of death, where trapped animals attract scavengers, which then also become entangled. Animals encountering ghost gear become entangled in nets and lines, resulting in injuries, starvation, suffocation, or drowning.
Beyond direct harm to wildlife, ghost gear causes physical damage to sensitive marine habitats. As it drifts or is dragged by currents, it can snag on and destroy coral reefs, seagrass beds, and rocky seafloors. These habitats are important for marine biodiversity, and their destruction impacts entire food webs. Ghost gear, largely composed of plastics, also contributes to marine plastic pollution. As the gear breaks down, it fragments into microplastics, which can be ingested by marine organisms and enter the food chain.
Global Efforts to Combat Ghost Gear
Various strategies and initiatives are being implemented worldwide to address ghost fishing gear. Prevention is a primary focus, involving measures such as gear marking to identify ownership and facilitate retrieval. This also includes promoting responsible fishing practices and encouraging the development of biodegradable or more easily detectable gear materials. Improving port reception facilities for old or damaged gear helps reduce intentional discarding.
Retrieval and Clean-up
Organized retrieval and clean-up efforts are underway globally to locate and remove existing ghost gear from the ocean. These efforts include diver clean-ups, the use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and “fishing for litter” programs where fishers bring back marine debris they encounter.
Policy and Regulation
Policy and regulation play a role, with international agreements, national legislation, and regional initiatives aiming to manage fishing gear and prevent abandonment. The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), for instance, is a multi-stakeholder alliance dedicated to finding solutions through collaboration.
Innovation and Awareness
Innovation and technology contribute to solutions, with emerging technologies being explored for tracking and detecting lost gear. Raising public awareness and engaging communities are important for fostering support and participation in these efforts.