On Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22, the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Government of Panama will train a group of over 70 individuals - including 16 divers - from all over the world in the safe removal of abandoned, discarded or lost fishing gear, also known as ghost gear, off the coast of Panama. Immediately following the GGGI’s 2019 annual meeting, the training is part of a larger six-day workshop, the fourth in a series co-hosted this year by the GGGI in an effort to raise awareness of and implement its Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear to tackle the threat of ghost gear around the world. 

“Ghost gear continues to trap and kill long after it has entered the water, and that’s bad news for marine life and the fishers and coastal communities that depend on a healthy ocean,” said Ingrid Giskes, Director of the GGGI. “To make a dent in this problem, we need to prevent gear loss by building capacity on the ground on proper gear management techniques;  but we also need to expand the pool of local professionals able to tackle the problem in the water, and that’s what this workshop will accomplish.”

The training will cover key components of developing a successful ghost gear diver removal program, including ghost gear location, planning, permitting, removal, disposal,  and safety and environmental considerations. The workshop will provide guidance on developing a ghost gear recovery program specific to the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as provide an in-water experience of lost net recovery and PADI Ghost Gear Recovery certification to select participants.

While scientists estimate that approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean from land every year, the amount of fishing gear remains largely unknown. Best estimates state that upwards of 640,000 tons of ghost gear is lost; however, emerging science suggests these numbers may be much higher. A 2015 report by Ocean Conservancy scientists showed that ghost gear – which continues to ensnare and harm marine life long after it has entered the water -- is the deadliest form of marine debris.  

To date, the GGGI has conducted gear retrieval training in Panama and Vanuatu and numerous workshops educating fishers around the world on fishing gear management.