Ghost Fishing

Ghost fishing is the continued capture and killing of marine animals by fishing gear that has been lost, abandoned, or discarded at sea. Derelict gillnets, traps, and pots keep entangling fish, crabs, turtles, and marine mammals for years. Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear is a large share of plastic by weight in some ocean accumulation zones; gear-marking, recovery programs, and biodegradable escape panels are the main mitigations.