If there’s something strange haunting the ocean deep, who you gonna call?
Ghost Gearbusters!
From tangled nets to lost traps, abandoned and lost fishing gear is one of the ocean’s most sinister foes. Ghost gear happens when nets snag on the seafloor, get tangled with other fishing gear or are lost during nasty storms. It’s rare for fish harvesters and to intentionally discard their gear – after all, they’re not trying to hurt marine life, and losing equipment is costly.
How Fishing Gear Haunts Marine Life
Once ghost gear is in the ocean, it keeps “fishing” for years, and plenty of species fall victim to its clutches. A single net can trap hundreds of animals like dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and more. Every year, 136,000 whales, dolphins, seals and turtles get entangled in ghost gear. Once they’re caught, these animals can’t escape, meaning they can’t take a breath at the water’s surface, hunt for food, leading to life-threatening injuries and eventual drowning.
Tackling Ghost Gear Head-On
Canada has been leading the charge in fighting ghost gear. Since 2020, all Canadian commercial fisheries are required to report lost gear, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) actively work to recover it. When lost gear is logged, we’re able to pinpoint high-risk areas for gear loss and keep track of patterns with the aim of preventing future losses. Moreover, between 2020 and 2024, Canada’s Ghost Gear Fund invested $58.3 million into over 140 projects, recovering over 36,000 units of gear.
On-Demand Gear: A Lifeline for Marine Wildlife
While retrieving ghost gear is crucial, reducing the ropes added to the ocean in the first place is just as important. That’s where on-demand gear plays a huge role. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is helping fish harvesters adopt this innovative technology with the CanFiSH Gear Lending Program. In 2022 and 2023, 14 fish harvesters used it to catch over 344,000 kilograms of Snow Crab —removing over 1,000 vertical ropes from the ocean. This helps protect species like whales and sea turtles from deadly entanglements.
Learn more about this life saving gear and the CanFISH Gear Lending Program.
April Overall
April is the Editor of Wildlife Update, CWF’s e-newsletter and WILD magazine, the Canadian Wildlife Federation's children’s publication. When she’s not writing for CWF, you’ll probably find her playing with her daughter Nora.
