A new study provides the first solid global estimate of the amount of fishing equipment lost each year.
It’s known as “ghost gear.” Abandoned traps, aimlessly drifting nets, and other lost fishing equipment can haunt the ocean for years, ensnarling and killing whales, turtles, and other marine creatures. The magnitude of the problem has been hard to quantify, but a new study provides the first solid global estimate of the amount of equipment lost each year: enough nets to cover Scotland, for example, and fishing line that could wrap around the equator 400 times.
The comprehensive new findings, researchers say, could help both conservation and fishing organizations track their progress toward protecting the seas from lost gear. Curious to get the global picture, Richardson began a Ph.D. at the University of Tasmania to study the issue with more types of gear in all major fishing regions. By analyzing international fisheries data, she identified five major types of fishing gear. These include bottom trawl nets, which collect species such as scallops and flounder from the sea floor, and the long lines of hooks used to catch cod, tuna, and other large fish.
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