Experts from around the world are meeting in London today to launch the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), marking the start of an action plan to tackle the urgent problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear.

The GGGI, driven by World Animal Protection, has brought together leading experts, including the United Nations Environment Programme, the Marine Stewardship Council, Young’s Seafood Limited and Australia’s Northern Prawn Fishery to share their knowledge and expertise to ensure safer, cleaner oceans.

Lost and abandoned fishing gear - ’ghost gear’ - poses a significant threat to the health and productivity of the oceans. Each year sees the appearance of new ghost gear due to factors such as extreme weather events, accidental loss or deliberate disposal at sea. Mostly made of plastic with a life expectancy of up to 600 years, ghost gear accumulates in the oceans at an estimated rate of 640,000 tonnes per year or one tonne of ghost gear per 125 tonnes of fish caught. This causes huge devastation to marine habitats as it continues to catch, entangle and kill hundreds of species including seals, turtles, dolphins and whales.

The growing volume of ghost gear and lack of a global solution puts a strain on the livelihoods of coastal communities and productivity of the fishing industry. For example, the loss of marketable lobster due to ghost fishing gear is estimated to lead to a global loss of US$250 million per year.

Petri Suuronen, Fishery Industry Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation’s Fishing and Operations Service, said, “This global problem requires a global solution and FAO supports the GGGI’s mission and collaborative approach to ensure safer, cleaner oceans. We encourage the active participation of the fishing industry in this initiative.”