
The Tale of Lost Fishing Gear
Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear in Southwest Nova Scotia
As the sun begins to rise over the horizon, the day has already started for the local fishers.
In a coastal Nova Scotian village, John and crew venture out on the water to check their lobster traps on his Cape Islander early one March morning. When the crew haul up the trawl of traps onto the boat to sort and band the lobsters, one of his crew members discovers that the rope is chaffed on one of the lines, and a trap is missing, likely from a powerful winter storm.
The fishers try to find the trap by towing along the ocean floor in the area where the gear was set, but they could not recover it, even after several hours of searching. They report the lost trap to the government fishery managers and continue their day fishing.
Now that this trap is lost in the ocean, it is considered abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear, commonly known as ghost gear.
Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear
Marine debris is a ubiquitous global problem, where approximately 80% originates from land-based sources. Of the remaining 20%, marine-based sources are believed to be the root of the problem. Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), also known as “ghost gear,” represents fishing-related debris that is disposed of accidentally or deliberately into the marine environment and contributes to over 6.4 million tonnes of marine debris annually.
Ghost gear is recognized globally and nationally as one of the most important marine debris issues to support sustainable and healthy oceans.
As part of achieving Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, various organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) , United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) , Global Ghost Gear Initiative , and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are working to prevent and mitigate the impacts of ghost gear on our oceans.
FAO and UNEP estimate that one tenth of all waste in the oceans is made up of “ghost gear”.
Impacts of Ghost Gear
Ghost gear has different negative environmental, social, and economic impacts, which make it an important issue to solve.
Social and Economic Impacts
Since the 1970s, research has been pursued to understand the sources, amount, lifespan, distribution and impacts of ghost gear. With the increasing export-driven goals of marine fisheries, the quantity of ghost gear in the ocean is only expected to grow worldwide.
Within the Canadian context, commercial landings and marine fisheries production have been valued at 3.3 billion in 2016, obtaining status as the most profitable sector in the Canadian fishing industry. Southwest Nova Scotia (SWNS) is considered the most productive American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishing area in Canada. The commercial American lobster fishing industry is one of the most essential industries in Nova Scotia, where the harvest of this crustacean contributes to over $500 million each year. Many rural communities across Atlantic Canada rely on the fishing industry for their livelihood, which may be impacted due to ALDFG.
Little research has been conducted to understand the negative effects of ALDFG on commercial fishing markets, target species, and marine environments. However, from the available published research and local evidence, ghost gear is a serious problem.
Marine fisheries of all kinds can produce lost gear fishing, which range from traps, aquaculture netting, to cables.
Environmental Impacts
Entanglements
Lost gear can travel far from its source location before sinking and accumulating on the seafloor or appearing on shorelines. Additionally, ' ghost fishing ' can trap economically valuable catch along with species that aren’t targeted as part of the fishery, like some species-at-risk, contributing to economic and ecological impacts. Often, escaping from entanglement is not possible for marine mammals, resulting in extensive injuries, starvation, and possible death. Injury from fishing gear may also deter their ability to reproduce and feed.
Unsuitable Habitats
Although gear may appear to settle on the seafloor, ocean currents can quickly demobilize the derelict marine debris. Dynamic ocean conditions and lost gear can damage ecosystems developed on the bottom of the ocean. Lost gear lodged in hard or soft bottom is often argued to provide additional habitat to marine life; however, studies show that removing ghost gear provides greater long-term benefits than leaving the gear in the ocean environment.
Untangling the Problem
Ghost gear represents a complex issue that is prevalent on multiple geographic scales.
To help tackle this problem locally, Coastal Action , an environmental non-profit based in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, has partnered with the local fishing industry, academics, and other environmental non-profits on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The goal of this project is to reduce, assess, and prevent ghost gear in the region.
This project is being accomplished through gear detection technologies, retrieval missions, releasing by-catch, and piloting rope recycling programs for the disposal of end-of-life rope to combat the issue of ghost gear on a local scale.
Gear Detection
To retrieve ghost gear and reduce the negative impacts on our marine environment, it is important to know where to look. There are several different methods, some of which use new technology or local knowledge held by fishers and their communities.
Internationally, several web applications exist to report marine debris found in our oceans. Some of these include the Ocean Conservancy , the European Environment Agency , Australian Marine Debris Database ; however, measures to collect lost fishing gear data have been led by the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI). The GGGI Reporter app allows the public and industry to record lost, or found, fishing gear. The publicly available data can be used to inform retrieval on local, regional or global scales.
Lost Gear Data
Within Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have implemented lost gear reporting requirements as part of fishing licenses since 2020. When gear becomes lost, fishers obtain the coordinates and submit a lost fishing gear form to DFO. The coordinates are then collected and registered in a database.
The data visualized to the right represents reported lost fishing gear up until June 2021, in lobster fishing areas (LFA) 33, 34, and 35.
Hotspot Identification
Using reported gear losses helps refine search areas. Using spatial analyses, their geographic locations can help identify lost gear hotspots. These hotspots can be attributed due to a combination of accidental losses, environmental conditions, industry conflicts, or poor gear conditions.
Acoustic Surveying
Another way that can help detect ghost gear is using acoustic surveying technology. There are varying acoustic methods, such as multi-beam, single beam, and sidescan sonar. The Global Ghost Gear Initiative identifies side-scan sonar as a primary tool for locating lost gear. Side-scan sonar has been used for target detection of ship wrecks, dredging patterns and identifying benthic geomorphology.
Graphical illustration of the differences between multi-beam, single beam, and side sonar sonar (Vicki Gazzola).
In collaboration with Ocean Tracking Network , this particular side-scan sonar survey design featured on the screen was developed in reference to lost gear hotspots in Clark's Harbour, Nova Scotia. Using the EdgeTech 4205 MPMT Dual Frequency Sonar, the Ocean Tracking Network team conducted 12 days of data collection which was then used to inform lost gear retrieval missions.
EdgeTech 4205 MPMT Dual Frequency Sonar (towfish) used by Ocean Tracking Network.
The Deeper Picture
Once the side-scan sonar is deployed into the water, the towfish is trawled behind the vessel and follows the survey transects.
Ocean Tracking Network crew deploying the EdgeTech 4205 MPMT Dual Frequency Sonar.
During acquisition, side-scan sonar emits acoustic fan-like pulses, creating an image of the seafloor, including any ghost gear that might be there. The high-resolution imagery is sent in real-time to a topside computer.
Graphical illustration of the side-scan towfish collects data on the seafloor (Vicki Gazzola).
Onboard, the imagery is monitored to identify preliminary contact locations of lost gear. Once survey transects are completed, the data is processed using mosaic software to show the seabed geomorphology and highlight potential contacts.
Ocean Tracking Network crew monitoring imagery in real-time.
Location Matters
GPS positioning and Chesapeake SonarWiz acquisition and mosaic software allows the creation of high-resolution imagery to geo-reference representations of the seafloor. The information such as locations of ghost gear and seafloor conditions, including habitat type and bottom roughness, provides greater detail in focusing our searches for retrieval.
Global Effort
Around the globe, gear detection is being introduced prior to ghost gear retrieval missions. In the United States, side-scan sonar surveys are used to identify lost crab pots in New Jersey and Chesapeak Bay . Side-scan sonar surveys have also been used in Brazil and in the Gulf of California .
The Search Continues
Aiming to collect as much gear as possible, Coastal Action is working with local fishers to retrieve gear lost at sea by bottom towing.
Fishing for Fishing Gear
It is not an easy task to retrieve gear on the bottom of the seafloor. Grapples are modified anchors that fishers design for towing along the seafloor to snag gear that might be lying on the bottom. These are designed for different kinds of bottom conditions. A span drag can be easily towed across a muddy or sandy bottom, while a cylinder-like grapple is more desirable for moving in between rocks and hard bottom. During retrieval missions, grapples acquire ghost gear off the seafloor that may be more difficult to obtain than with a traditional anchor.
Examples of grappling devices used in retrieval.
Out at sea, the fishers put a grapple in the water, dragging it behind their boat until it snags on gear at the bottom. Gear that will pull could be anything from rope to a lobster trap to an aquaculture net and anything in between.
Captain and crew retrieving snarled rope and lobster trap.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Coastal Action has spearheaded 159 at-sea retrieval days. With the help of local fishers, more than 24.5 thousand kilograms of marine debris was removed off the coast of Southwest Nova Scotia.
Amongst the gear retrieved in 2020, 66 percent of the total weight of debris retrieved from at-sea retrievals comprised lobster traps. Large quantities of buoys, rope and dragger cable were also recovered. Some of the retrieved buoys in the Pubnico and Yarmouth areas originated from the United States, highlighting the need for all countries to work towards solving the problem of marine debris and ghost gear.
Taking a Deeper Dive
While removing ghost gear from the ocean provides ample benefit to marine life, the information about the gear retrieved can be used to develop and implement sustainable management practices.
A vital component to retrieval missions is releasing the by-catch from retrieved gear. The information can give researchers and policy-makers insight on marine species protection measures.
By-catch is considered any marine animal that is unintentionally captured in gear during fishing activity, and in this case, ghost gear. By-catch can be the target species of the fishery or non-target species. For target species such as lobster, lost traps can indiscriminately capture by-catch for long periods after the trap is lost due to the ghost fishing cycle. This cycle can have several negative environmental and economic impacts. For example, baseline assessment research from this project showed that ghost gear in southern Nova Scotia resulted in an estimated commercial loss of target species upward to CAD$172,000 annually.
Collecting Data
To address the many unknowns about ghost gear, retrieval fishers and crew examine, count and document by-catch released and gear retrieved to further understand how ghost gear behaves in our environment.
Releasing By-Catch
When ghost gear is retrieved and hauled onto the boat, the captain, crew, and the Coastal Action team work quickly to disentangle and free any by-catch trapped in gear.
The crew quickly measures, weighs, and assesses the lobsters and fish. Injuries and predation evidence are also recorded.
Following the quick assessment, the Coastal Action team release the by-catch back into the ocean.
Gear Assessment
All gear retrieved is assessed and examined. The gear's type, weight, and condition are recorded, along with any tag information on the gear to return to owners.
Gear that cannot be returned to its rightful owner is either repurposed or responsibly landfilled.
Tackling the problem of ghost gear is no one-man show.
Retrieval missions require a network of individuals working towards the same goal. Without collaborations with local fishers, industry leaders, and government agencies, the gear retrieved would still be sitting on the bottom of the seafloor.
Fishers have contributed to selecting our target areas, designed grapples and equipment, adapted and strengthened methods, and showed solid collaborative communication. This stewardship component of the project has been a key strength, which will have lasting benefits. Partnerships with Dalhousie University, Ocean Tracking Network, and Clean Annapolis River Project have resulted in accomplishments such as retrieval across three different lobster fishing areas, publication of a scientific article, five shoreline cleanups and 12 days of testing novel gear detection methods.
Sustainable Solutions
Ghost gear is an inevitable problem with fishing of any kind. To help reduce the impact that ghost gear has on our natural environment, implementing sustainable solutions through preventative and mitigative strategies are small, but mighty, steps to reducing the presence of ghost gear in our oceans.
Managing Gear
Good management practices to prevent ghost gear are crucial to reducing marine debris at sea, including better maintenance, managing gear at sea when pulling traps, recycling systems, and reporting gear losses.
Regular Gear Retrieval
Regular gear retrieval will also be a part of better ghost gear management to remove gear before it accumulates. This will require further collaboration with marine managers, fishers, and other environmental organizations.
Shoreline Cleanups
Shoreline cleanups present an opportunity for the general public to get involved in mitigation efforts, as well as spread awareness of the issue of ghost gear.
Rope Disposal
Another factor contributing to ghost gear is limited options for waste management of end-of life-gear. Cost and convenience are known barriers that deter responsible disposal, which perpetuates illegal dumping. To contribute to responsible end-of-life gear disposal, Coastal Action is working with local recycling companies to develop a rope recycling program that can be expanded upon in the future.
Get Involved
Interested in helping solve the problem of ghost gear? Check out the resources below for more information on ways to get involved in your community.