Ghost webs are an out-of-control issue that has become a globally digitized problem for the first time. About 2% of commercial fishing gear is at sea each year, where it forms a major part of marine plastic pollution and traps many species in a slow, painful death.
Australian researchers estimate the mass of gear lost annually in the world’s oceans could circle the Earth 18 times over.
Estimates show that roughly 2% of commercial fishing gear is lost or discarded at sea each year. This gear fuels global marine plastic pollution and poses real dangers to wildlife. The cumulative effect makes solving the problem increasingly challenging with every passing year.
abandoned fishing gear
Denise Hardesty of Australia’s national research agency CSIRO noted that the study represents the most comprehensive global analysis to date on abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear.
Abandoned nets on the seabed.
“We found that 14 billion longline hooks, 25 million pots and traps, and almost 740,000 kilometers of longlines end up in the oceans through fishing activities each year,” Hardesty stated.
The study drew on global fisheries data and interviews with fishermen. A total of 450 fishers from seven countries, including the United States, Indonesia, and Morocco, contributed to the surveys. The research examined the five main types of fishing gear, how much equipment is used and lost annually, and the characteristics of the gear and vessels most affected by losses.
Loss tends to be higher on smaller fishing boats and among gear like bottom gillnets; net losses are greater than those from surface gear.
Economic, environmental and social impacts
Until now, information on the scale of gear loss in the oceans has been limited. Because gear loss carries substantial economic, environmental, and social consequences, the new findings will support local and global fisheries management and policy responses.
“The data used to create these estimates come directly from fishermen and allow an understanding of gear losses from the ground up,” said Kelsey Richardson, lead author of the paper.
“There has been a sharp rise in global fishing activity, while advances in fishing technologies include improved systems to mark, track, and recover gear,” Richardson added.
“Our updated forecasts help identify where efforts should be focused to support fisheries management and responses that reduce gear ending up in the oceans,” he explained.
Reference work: Science Advances
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