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“Ghost Fishing” Nets And Traps Haunt Seafloors And Coastlines

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A United Nations study from 10 years ago estimated that 640,000 tonnes of non-biodegradable fishing gear littered the oceans each year. More recent estimates suggest that between 45 and 70 percent of all ocean microplastics originated from fishing gear. When this abandoned and/or derelict fishing gear ensnares animals (many of which are of commercial and/or ecological value), it is is known as “ghost fishing”. This “ghost gear” may make up to 10 percent of all marine debris and nearly half of the trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Removing such gear, once located, can be an onerous task. In one instance, it took a team of eight divers two days to remove a 150-foot net covering a Panamanian coral reef and required the divers to meticulously cut the net into small, manageable pieces to avoid damaging the re. And, trapped in the ghost net were several sea creatures, including a dead female sea turtle who was unable to escape. Such ghosts, which are ubiquitous across the world’s oceans, are notorious for unintentionally capturing species and making them vulnerable to predation or preventing them from feeding and breathing.

Similarly, a ghost fishing removal squad has recently been operating in the Baltic Sea, which has one of the most active shipping lanes on the planet and is famous for salmon and herring fishing. This fleet has reclaimed enough ghost nets to extend past 1,000 meters in length from Finland’s west coast. And Finnish waters still have less fishing than neighboring Sweden due to the ocean being frozen for longer periods of time.

The Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship initiative (SeaBOS), which represents 10 of the largest seafood companies on the planet, and Norwegian government recently announced that they were joining the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI). And, there are active efforts underway to remove ghost gear from Hawai’ian waters. Additionally, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program has worked with fishermen to collect over 2 million pounds of ghost gear.

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