The sustainable fishing world comes with a lot of vocabulary that most of us probably don’t use in our everyday lives. So, we’ve created a series of definitions to help you become a sustainable fishing expert.
Tldr:
Ghost gear is the term used for fishing gear that has been lost, abandoned, or discarded at sea. Lost gear can harm the marine environment by trapping and entangling animals and smothering coral reefs. Reducing ghost fishing is critical to a healthy ocean.The details:
While the vast majority of plastic in the ocean comes from people's homes, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that at least 640,000 metric tons of fishing gear is lost each year, and that fishing gear makes up 10% of all marine debris.
Lost or abandoned fishing gear poses a threat to our ocean because it can continue to fish at the bottom of the sea, entangle animals, or smother coral reefs.
Many fisheries are already working to manage their gear carefully to avoid gear loss and to align with evolving best practice on issues like the animal entanglement in fishing gear.
Fisheries certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard are required to minimize gear loss and account for the impact that any lost gear might have on habitats and ecosystems. Our Standard has been strengthened in recent years to further prevent gear loss and reduce its impact.
Additionally, the MSC recently joined the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), which is an alliance of the fishing industry, private sector, NGOs, academia, and governments focused on solving the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear worldwide.
Learn more about the MSC and ghost gear.
