Millions of traps and millions of hooks are lost each year to the ocean by commercial fishing enterprises. This drifting gear, once lost to the wild and now attracting helpless sea life is called Ghost fishing.
These items add to the expense. Mountains of ocean pollutionAlready creating massive challengesFor WildlifeAround The world.
Australian researchers have now put this industrial waste in perspective by calculating how much fishing line falls into ocean waters each year enough to circumvent the entire globe 18 times.
“These estimates were based on data provided by fishermen to aid us in our understanding of the fishing gear losses at source.” SaysKelsey Richardson is a marine socioecologist at the University of Tasmania.
Richardson and co-workers interviewed 450 fishers in seven countries. They asked them questions about fishing gear use and loss, as well as what they think contributes to this pollution.
Researchers found that the type of sea vessel used affected the loss from the US, Morocco, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Richardson and colleagues stated, “Proportionately, less gear was lost from smaller fishing boats.” Send them a note in your paperThis suggests that larger vessels may have better navigation and fishing technology, which could reduce losses.
Also, nets that reached the seafloor suffered much more losses than those that were used at lower depths. Bottom trawling Environmentally destructive practices are well-knownThe loss of nets means higher financial risk for fishers. This method provides us with about 25% wild-caught seafood.
Purse sein nets were lost at a higher rate than other net types. Gear loss could also be caused by bad weather.
Gear is being cast aside at the rate that it is. In 65 years The team will have enough fishing nets for the whole planet. This explainsThe Conversation. This does not include gear lost during recreational fishing.
Researchers explain that while many types of waste can have an impact on marine ecosystems, fisheries gear has a greater impact on wildlife than others. This is because it was specifically designed to capture and kill animals.
Ghost fishing is a threat to endangered species because it doesn’t distinguish between the two. For example, sharks and rays have been affected by ghost fishing. Decreased by 70%In the past 50 years, many people have been caught in nets or were injured by longline hooks.
A study was conducted in 2019More than 1,000 instances of entangled rays and sharks.
Kristian Parton, University of Exeter marine biologist said that one example of the study included a shortfin mako-shark with fishing rope tightly around it. At the time.
“The shark had clearly continued growing after becoming entangled, so the rope – which was covered in barnacles – had dug into its skin and damaged its spine. Entanglements can cause suffering, pain, and even death. This is a serious animal welfare problem.
Researchers encourage people to Report any sightingsThese animals are in pain.
The good news? A self-reported stocktake for the percentage of fishing equipment losses seems to be lower. In 2019, estimates.
“There have been significant increases in global fishing efforts, as well improvements in fishing technology, including better chances to mark, track, and recover fishing equipments.” This explains Richardson.
“Our updated estimates highlight the areas where support is needed to fisheries management and to gear stewardship interventions in order to generate targeted solutions to decrease fishing gear ending up with our oceans.”
Richardson and his colleagues recommend these strategies, which include regular gear maintenance, repair, tracking, loss reporting, recovery, and encouragement of good disposal practices.
Their research was published in Science Advances.
