By Nata Tavonvunchai, NLAI Associate.

Early in 2025, a 400m-long abandoned fishing net trapping dozens of seabirds, fish, crabs, and lobsters was found off the Southwest coast of England. Beneath the surface of Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, volunteer divers from the local marine charity Fathoms Free discovered what one of their team later called “one of the worst ones we’ve done in quite a long time” – a vast monofilament net tangled over rock and kelp, snagged by tidal flows – a hidden death trap across the seafloor.

Responding to reports from the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and photographs from a concerned member of the public, teams spent more than five gruelling hours in the cold water, coordinating from the surface and below with precise cuts to disentangle the snared life. Dozens of lobsters, edible and spider crabs of all sizes, wrasse, cat sharks and bull huss were found caught in the mesh alongside seabirds such as shags and an oystercatcher.  Many of them were already deceased. The volunteers worked “relentlessly” into the evening to safely free the surviving fish and crustaceans, a task that was physically demanding and no doubt emotionally taxing, too.

In this case, volunteers were able to free at least some of the trapped marine life. In too many cases, though, Abandoned, Lost, or Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) or – as it is commonly referred to – ‘ghost’ gear, continues to entrap fish incessantly, threatening marine biodiversity and ecosystems. In Canada, for example, internal federal data released last month showed that nearly 86,000 marine animals were caught up in ghost gear between 2020 and 2023, with the majority involving commercially valuable species such as lobster and snow crab. Even then, local marine biologists say the figure is likely to be undercounted as most submerged gear never surfaces for retrieval. But there are plenty of other incidents to point to the size of the problem. Off the west coast of British Columbia in May 2025, conservation divers and community groups documenting ghost gear found old gillnets tangled with the bones of seabirds and the shells of crabs.  Veteran commercial diver Bourton Scott – who spends weekends hauling nets, crab traps and lines lost off Vancouver Island – says the underwater toll is stark: “Under every gillnet that I’ve found, there’s always a bone pile,” a grim reminder of how ghost gear continues to kill long after it was discarded.

A global threat

Globally, between 500,000 and 1 million tonnes of ghost gear is reportedly lost annually. The scale of this issue thus represents a persistent and transboundary marine pollution challenge contributing to biodiversity loss and habitat degradation. It also indirectly exacerbates climate change, through greenhouse gas emissions as plastic fishing gear slowly degrades, and through lost ocean productivity as fish stocks are killed unnecessarily and the ecosystems that support fisheries are damaged.

Both the scale and interconnected nature of this issue highlight the urgent need for integrated, cross-sectoral solutions. This aligns closely with the commitments outlined in the UN Ocean Conference Declaration (June 2025), “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action”, which addresses ghost gear and underscores the interlinkage of environmental challenges and the importance of collective action. In this context, tackling ghost gear is not only an environmental necessity but a vital step towards achieving sustainable, resilient and climate-positive ocean economies.

The concept of circular economy proposes a systematic move away from the prevailing "take-make-dispose" model towards one where waste and pollution are ‘designed out’ from the start. Instead of taking raw materials from the environment, using them for a short time, and then throwing them away, a circular approach rethinks how products are designed, used, repaired and reused so materials stay in circulation for as long as possible and nothing is wasted. While the circular economy has often been discussed in the context of land-based industries, its principles can be readily applied to marine and maritime affairs, leading to the concept of a circular Blue Economy.

The marine environment, with rivers connecting the landscape to the seascape, is a space where the interconnectedness of climate and environmental issues culminates and presents itself even more evidently. Building a sustainable Blue Economy means seeing the land, coast, and ocean as one connected system, and empowering the people who live and work within it to turn circular solutions into shared prosperity. A circular Blue Economy model can also help to frame the rethinking of the ghost gear problem, turning waste and pollution into new sources of value.

An emerging innovative global response

Ghost gear is not only an environmental issue, but also a material economic issue for fisheries, coastal communities and ocean-linked industries. Ghost gear is ultimately a loss of equipment and investment, via diminished catch, environmental damage and clean-up costs. In fishery-specific terms, lost gear leads to reduced catches as gear continues “ghost-fishing” as it drifts along, gear replacement costs, and operational delays (e.g. from potential vessel damage). One baseline study estimated that in the Mediterranean region ghost gear inflicted €641 million in annual losses, spread across tourism, the marine industry and fisheries.

There is increasing integration of technology, community action, and policy innovation to address ghost gear, ranging from beginning- to end-of-pipe solutions.

While prevention remains the ultimate goal, reactive or ‘downstream’ solutions continue to play an important role in addressing the problem of ghost gear. Cleanup initiatives, whether community-led (such as this indigenous-led programme in Australia) or technologically-driven (such as a ‘hackathon’ in the US to develop innovative tools that enable effective cutting and recovery of abandoned fishing nets) are critical for mitigating the immediate impacts of ghost gear and marine pollution. However, alongside these cleanups, a number of innovative start-ups and collaborations are also demonstrating how waste can be reimagined as a resource. For instance, projects across the world, such as in Udupi, India, are transforming recovered fishing nets and ropes into functional products such as beach furniture, while SeaHives Ltd in the U.K. is using reclaimed material to create artificial reefs, turning a problem into a solution with direct positive environmental impact. SeaHives are built from hexagonal tubes moulded from recovered nets, providing hard surfaces for algae, invertebrates and juvenile fish to settle, grow, shelter and breed – effectively converting pollution into habitat.

In May 2025, for example, a SeaHive was sponsored and deployed at Mayflower Marina in Cornwall, demonstrating ongoing community support for practical recycling and restoration efforts using materials that would otherwise remain hazardous marine debris. An earlier installation at Portland Marina has already shown rapid colonisation by algae and filter-feeding organisms within months of deployment, with monitoring imagery indicating the emergence of thriving micro-ecosystems where there was previously little structural habitat. These projects not only recycle dangerous ghost gear but also engage local volunteers – including Sea Cadets involved in assembly and monitoring – underscoring how circular approaches to fishing gear can deliver tangible biodiversity benefits while strengthening community stewardship of coastal waters.

Tech-based approaches are also being developed, such as the Eelume project in Norway, which is deploying autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to locate and recover gear from hard-to-reach sites – a promising example of how technology can enhance marine cleanup operations.

However, the reality is that ocean plastics are typically lower in quality, which presents technical and economic challenges for large-scale recycling. This reality underscores the need for systemic reform — where there is product redesign to address ghost gear at its source and government and policy leadership enable the development of circular frameworks for systematic change.

A broader view

Policy and government support can act as powerful catalysts for enforcing collection and disposal of fishing gear, as well as providing support for financial incentives and technological innovation to alleviate the issue of ghost gear. The Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate coordinated the retrieval of 45 miles [72.4 km] of fishing nets and lines abandoned off Shetland’s seabed and issued an official warning for soak-time violations (how long fishing gear is allowed to remain in the water before being checked, hauled or removed) to the fishing vessel’s master. The Nordic Council of Ministers’ recognition of approaches such as mandatory gear marking, a centralised digital tracking system, financial incentives for gear return, investment in local recycling facilities and redesigning problematic fishing gear provides regulatory support for innovations to tackle ghost gear. Similarly, a government-backed study by the Wildlife Institute of India recommended “cash-for-nets” schemes with improvements in gear design to address ghost gear pollution in the Ganga River.

With respect to implementation of such recommendations, the NGO Animal Warriors Conservation Society (AWCS) sets another example from India highlighting localised initiatives with high potential for scale-up. Working with local fisherfolk in Andra Pradesh, AWCS has recycled ~26,000 kg of ghost nets and removed 5,455 kg of marine plastics. This has resulted in more abundant fish stocks, increasing fishers’ catch and income. Moreover, fishers earned ₹1.4 million (~€13,655) from collecting recycled materials.

Downstream initiatives, when linked with circular design and strong governance, can turn the challenge of ghost gear into a win-win for ocean health, climate resilience and coastal livelihoods. Alignment across industry, government, and communities is essential – with both funders and implementers playing crucial roles in driving lasting change. A supportive policy environment – one that integrates producer accountability, extended responsibility, and financial incentives – is vital for sustaining progress. Such frameworks not only protect the marine environment but also generate economic opportunity by converting waste into useful resources and creating new markets for recycled materials.

Partnerships like the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) show the power of collective commitment – where organisations, governments, and communities can pool expertise, resources, and innovation to turn ambition into impact. As the world’s largest cross-sectoral alliance dedicated to tackling ghost gear, GGGI advances this mission through data insight, policy dialogue, and innovation mapping – connecting stakeholders across sectors to accelerate progress. GGGI also provides funding to support early-career women interested in ghost gear through the Joanna Toole Internship programme.

NLAI is proud to be a member of GGGI and an active supporter of global efforts to address ALDFG. As Gary Hesling, NLAI Associate Director, notes: “NLAI is passionate about trying to reduce and overcome this challenge globally. It is in our ethos and ethics to help make our oceans cleaner, greener, and safer.”

From ghost gear to supporting a Blue Economy – potential ways ahead

Addressing ghost gear through circular systems is a climate and community win-win. Ultimately, the transition to a circular Blue Economy is not merely an environmental imperative but can also be a significant economic opportunity. Reviewing emerging proactive practice around the world, positive further steps could include:

• Governments establishing and strengthening circular frameworks, ensuring clear policies for producer accountability and extended responsibility throughout product lifecycles.
• Industry and start-ups investing in innovation – designing products for reuse, repurposing waste as valuable inputs and embedding sustainability at every stage of production.
• Providing funders and investors with clearer guidance on what constitutes a high-impact, fundable circular project. This could involve developing transparent metrics and reporting standards. In turn, project developers must ensure robust data management and accountability mechanisms to meet these expectations.
• Placing coastal communities at the heart of the solution – through gear retrieval initiatives, adopting best practices in fishing, participating in collection and recycling programmes and contributing ideas for more sustainable futures.
• Supporting broader education initiatives publicising the harm caused by ALDFG. This could motivate fisher folk to stop discarding end of life gear at sea and encourage students and citizens to organise events to retrieve and remove abandoned and lost nets and gear from the marine environment.

Healthy oceans and climate resilience are deeply interconnected. Strengthening one inevitably reinforces the other, making the circular Blue Economy not just an environmental necessity, but a pathway to shared prosperity and long-term planetary health.

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