What is Ghost Gear?
Ghost gear encompasses abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear, including nets, traps, and lines, which poses a persistent threat to marine life by continuing to trap and kill for years.
Discarded or lost fishing pot presumably washed up at Durdle Door
During a recent stroll down at Durdle Door, I stumbled upon a lost fishing pot, an unfortunate example of what is commonly known as Ghost Gear.Alliances such as the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) actively collaborate with governments, NGOs, and businesses to address this pressing issue.
Films about Ghost Gear
Over the past few years, we have produced a couple of films shedding light on this problem.In collaboration with World Animal Protection, the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, and Pembrokeshire Coast Marine Reserve, we created two Public Service Announcements (PSAs) — one tailored for the diving community and another for the fishing community, the latter I’ll post about shortly.
World Animal Protection collaboration
This film featuring Joanna Toole (https://joannatoolefoundation.org/) specifically targets the dive community, urging them to “Buddy Up,” a term familiar to divers, for the protection of marine life.
This film was originally made for the World Animal Protection SeaChange campaign. World Animal Protection now point to the work of the GGGI. This film has been updated with the GGGI reporting tools.
For those who come across lost gear, the GGGI offers a helpful app for reporting, accessible through their website: https://www.ghostgear.org/.
