{"id":40579,"date":"2024-10-29T10:05:34","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T14:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oceana.org\/?p=40579"},"modified":"2024-10-29T10:05:36","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T14:05:36","slug":"ghost-gear-pollution-haunting-our-oceans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oceana.org\/blog\/ghost-gear-pollution-haunting-our-oceans\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Gear: Pollution Haunting Our Oceans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What haunts the world\u2019s oceans even now? Scarier than ghouls and goblins, ghost gear is a scourge upon the seas!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But unlike ghosts, derelict fishing gear, also known as ghost gear, has an observable effect on life in the ocean. Ghost gear can take many forms, like gillnets, pots, traps, or even just lines in the water. As soon as fishing gear is no longer in control of the fisher who deployed it, it becomes a \u201cghost,\u201d continuing to fish freely as it drifts in ocean currents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where it gets scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As ghost gear drifts haphazardly, it can entangle marine life. Since ghost gear fishes until it is removed or sinks, ensnared animals must free themselves if they are to survive the encounter. Should they be fortunate enough to break away, they can sustain significant injury in the attempt. Whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, sharks, and many species of fish can meet their fate in the tangled mess of ghost gear adrift in the world\u2019s oceans<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But entanglement isn’t the only evil of ghost gear. Every year lost traps and pots are the end for a multitude of crustaceans and fish species<\/a> who, unable to escape, perish in these cages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, ghost gear doesn\u2019t just haunt the more mobile residents of the sea, but also spreads its ruin into the ocean\u2019s most lively corners\u2014coral reefs. Ghost gear impedes healthy coral growth by blocking the sun and breaking off or abrading coral heads. But the damage goes deeper. It can be extremely detrimental to the entire coral reef ecosystem, as significant coral loss leads to more bare substrate the dynamics of the reef change<\/a>, which in turn cascades across the lives of a multitude of species, altering feeding, spawning, and other habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But enough with the spooky stories, can we put ghost gear in the grave? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oceana campaigns to stop ghost gear at the source by working with fishers, regulators, and other stakeholders to craft responsible fishing policies like transitioning away from fishing gear that frequently becomes ghost gear, such as drift or set gillnets<\/a>. This helps to reduce entanglements, minimize bycatch, and protect crucial coral habitats.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What haunts the world\u2019s oceans even now? Scarier than ghouls and goblins, ghost gear is a scourge upon the seas!\u00a0 But unlike ghosts, derelict fishing gear, also known as ghost gear, has an observable effect on life in the ocean. Ghost gear can take many forms, like gillnets, pots, traps, or even just lines in … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":573,"featured_media":40581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"location":[],"expedition":[],"campaign":[],"ppma_author":[374],"class_list":["post-40579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","infinite-scroll-item"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGhost Gear: Pollution Haunting Our Oceans | Oceana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What haunts the world\u2019s oceans even now? Derelict fishing gear, also known as ghost gear, has an observable effect on life in the ocean. 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