Ghost Gear
D4. Fisheries, aquaculture, blue economy and marine resourcesDefinition
Lost or abandoned fishing gear.
Ghost gear is lost, abandoned, or discarded fishing equipment that keeps catching and killing marine life long after it leaves a fisher’s control, with derelict nets, traps, and lines entangling fish, turtles, and cetaceans. The FAO and IMO estimate hundreds of thousands of tonnes enter the ocean each year. Gear-marking schemes, port reception of worn gear, and the Global Ghost Gear Initiative target retrieval and prevention, and MARPOL Annex V already prohibits the deliberate disposal of fishing gear at sea.