Fishing’s phantom menace: How ghost fishing gear is endangering our sea life
Report
This report by World Animal Protection reveals the global scale and impact of ghost fishing gear on marine animals and ecosystems, and calls for urgent action to tackle the problem.
Executive summary:
Ghost fishing gear refers to nets, lines, traps and other fishing equipment that are abandoned, lost or discarded in the oceans, where they continue to trap and kill millions of animals every year.
Ghost fishing gear is estimated to make up 10 per cent of all marine debris, and can persist in the oceans for up to 600 years. It affects at least 136,000 seals, sea lions and large whales annually, as well as countless birds, turtles, fish and other species.
Ghost fishing gear also causes large-scale damage to marine habitats, compromises fishery yields and income, and poses a threat to human health and safety. The report provides case studies from Australia, UK, US and Canada to illustrate the extent and severity of the issue.
World Animal Protection’s Sea Change campaign aims to save one million marine animals by 2018 by reducing the volume of ghost gear in the oceans, removing existing gear, and rescuing entangled animals. The campaign also plans to form a Global Ghost Gear Initiative to bring together governments, industry and NGOs to find solutions for ghost-gear-free seas.
Key points:
- Ghost fishing gear is a major source of marine pollution and animal suffering that requires global attention and action.
- Ghost fishing gear affects a wide range of marine species, causing acute or chronic injuries, infections, starvation, exhaustion and drowning.
- Ghost fishing gear can travel long distances and accumulate in hotspots along coastlines or in ocean gyres. It is made of durable and often invisible plastics that can last for centuries in the marine environment.
- Ghost fishing gear has significant economic and social costs for governments, industry and communities. It can interfere with fishing operations, damage vessels and infrastructure, contaminate fish catches and tourism sites, and endanger human lives.
- World Animal Protection’s Sea Change campaign offers a comprehensive approach to address the problem of ghost fishing gear through prevention, removal and rescue. The campaign also seeks to establish a Global Ghost Gear Initiative to foster cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation.