Sea Change

Bringing together partners to stop fishing gear being lost and abandoned 

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative 

By collaborating with a range of partners, we worked to understand just how bad the problem of ghost fishing gear is – and to respond with solutions that work for animals and people. The seafood industry spends millions each year untangling nets from propellers, for example, so we’re developing solutions that protect animals and benefit businesses too. 

What is the Global Ghost Gear Initiative? 

As a multi-stakeholder alliance committed to driving solutions to the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear worldwide, the GGGI aims to improve the health of marine ecosystems, protect marine animals from harm, and safeguard human health and livelihoods. 

Founded by World Animal Protection on the best available science and technology, the GGGI is the first initiative dedicated to tackling the problem of ghost fishing gear at a global scale. 

The GGGI’s strength lies in the diversity of its participants including the fishing industry, the private sector, academia, governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. Every participant has a critical role to play to mitigate ghost gear locally, regionally and globally. 

To ensure safer, cleaner oceans by driving economically viable and sustainable solutions to the problem of ghost fishing gear globally. 

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative Mission 

• To improve the health of marine ecosystems 
• To protect marine animals from harm 
• To safeguard human health and livelihoods 

Three GGGI Working Groups have been established to: 

 Build evidence 

This group is collecting data locally and regionally and standardising it globally to understand ghost gear abundance, causes, impacts and trends. The evidence will then be used to prioritise solutions in ‘hotspot’ areas where ghost gear is a particular problem. 

Define best practices and inform policies 

This group is developing best practice guidance on the management of fishing gear at the different stages of its life. This guidance will be used to influence government and industry policies to ensure enhanced mitigation of the ghost gear problem globally. 

Catalyse and replicate solutions 

This group is expanding and replicating existing effective solutions and developing new ways to tackle the problem. They are particularly focused on solutions that are integrated into scalable business models. 

Calling on the world's navies 

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) is killing sea life. It’s a huge contributor to the ghost gear issue – but the fact it’s unlawful makes it tough to tackle as it’s often conducted in a country’s seas without permission. 

The South-Eastern Pacific, North-Western Pacific, and South East Asia are IUU hotspots, however it occurs worldwide. IUU has many negative environmental, economic and social impacts, such as contributing to overfishing and affecting the sustainability of legal fisheries. 

Because it can’t be regulated by the law or influenced as easily by animal welfare organisations, the scale of its negative impact on sea life is large – and growing. 

Our CEO Steve McIvor wrote to the worlds 10 largest navies – including the United States Navy and Russian Navy – calling on them to help prevent and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In his letter, Steve urges these navies to increase patrols and help end the unlawful industry. 

Supporting new ways to remove ghost gear from the seas 

1. Assisting rescue teams to save entangled marine animals around the world 

We have been providing marine animal rescue groups with much-needed resources, enabling them to conduct further training and rescue as many entangled animals as possible 

Sadly, while there are many marine animal rescue organisations around the world, many of these are under-resourced and under-funded and this limits the number of animals they can help. 

2. Global Whale Entanglement Response Network 

The entanglement of whales in fishing gear is a significant issue around the world. Rescuing these large, wild and injured animals at sea can be difficult and dangerous. 

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has been working with a group of international experts to build a global network of professionally trained and equipped entanglement responders. 

We've supported this network by funding the training of local teams and individuals to rescue whales from entanglement in Ecuador, Tonga, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Canada. We have also provided disentanglement equipment kits to some of these teams. 

If you find an entangled animal, please contact your nearest World Animal Protection office, or your local coastal authority, so you can be put in touch with a nearby rescue group. 

3. Calling out Seafood Companies

Producers and distributors of seafood have a huge role to play in tackling the problem of ‘ghost gear’, the term given to lost and abandoned fishing equipment. 

We believe that our oceans and the life within them should be protected. And seafood companies can be part of the solution. 

Some companies are already acting to help marine animals. And it’s working. Now we want others to act too. 

Our Ghosts beneath the waves report found that 80% of the largest seafood companies do not yet have an effective way of dealing with abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear. 

Only three companies, Young's, Tri Marine and Thai Union, have established policies or are part of projects to tackle ghost gear. 

Fewer than half of seafood companies have policies that effectively address sea litter and pollution. And we are driving a campaign to call out other companies who don’t have a policy or initiative in place to tackle this growing issue. 

Assisting rescue teams to save entangled marine animals around the world 

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters we have helped rescue groups obtain the equipment and training they need to rescue as many entangled animals as safely and effectively as possible. 

Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME) 

Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME) provide response, assistance and care to over 300 seals, turtles and whales each year in the southern and mid-coast areas of Maine, U.S. 

In 2015 we provided a grant to MMoME so buy equipment for a new rehabilitation facility and additional resources so that they can operate on a daily basis. MMoME is now better equipped to rescue entangled marine animals and ensure they receive the best possible care, and wherever possible, rehabilitation back into the wild. 

The new facility is also serving as a training site for staff and a local network of volunteers, offering general marine mammal education and providing them with skills in animal rescue and handling.