Ghost Nets: A Very Material Issue

A large quantity of fishing gear is unfortunately lost in the ocean every year. This gear, called “derelict fishing gear” or “ghost gear,” includes equipment such as lines, crab or lobster traps, and nets that have either been lost or abandoned in the ocean. Modern fishing gear is typically made of different plastics, designed for strength and durability, so they threaten marine life in multiple ways when cast off into the underwater world. According to Green Peace, ghost gear makes up about 10% of ocean plastics.

Ghost nets are one of the leading offenders when it comes to lost fishing gear. They can entangle and injure or kill fish, sea turtles, dolphins, porpoises, birds, sharks, and other species. Marine organisms cannot easily identify ghost nets and may swim directly into them. This causes them to become trapped where their movement is restricted. As a result, they may be unable to eat or hunt, and if they breathe air, are unable to surface. Nets that sink to the sea floor can damage coral reefs by destroying corals, blocking sunlight, and attracting disease and parasites. Sadly, hundreds of marine organisms can be caught in a single net.

While the enforcement of laws on the open ocean are difficult, various laws and regulations have been passed around the world in attempt to reduce the amount or severity of ghost gear. Non-governmental organizations have also taken action to protect the ocean from ghost gear and are making a huge impact. Ocean Voyages Institute, Ghost Diving, Healthy Seas, and Bracenet are just some of the amazing organizations and companies working to remove trash from the ocean. 

Ocean Voyages Institute aims to protect and preserve the oceans. They have already removed 340,000 pounds of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and plan to remove at least 1 million pounds. Ghost Diving is a group of volunteer technical divers who work to raise awareness about and target abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear. Healthy Seas works with divers as well as stakeholders in the fishing sector to prevent marine litter, collect ghost nets, and turn them into new products. Lastly, Bracenet upcycles ghost nets that are collected by a network of 200 divers around the world. They have already upcycled 5 tons of fishing nets and will not stop there. Addressing the overfishing of sharks does not only apply to shark fishing, it also means addressing the ample threats out on the high seas, like ghost gear.