Tag Archives: “ghost gear
N.H. Lawmakers pass bill to address abandoned fishing gear, with limitations
New Hampshire’s marine wildlife may soon be rescued from “ghost gear” haunting coastal waters, thanks to a bill passed by the Legislature last month. But it won’t be by individuals working on their own to find and remove abandoned gear this summer, as some House members had hoped. The version of House Bill 442 that passed last month directs Fish and Game to report to lawmakers by September with a strategic cleanup plan for derelict fishing gear, traps, and nets that have been abandoned by their owners but continue to ensnare fish, lobsters, and other marine organisms, leading to their death. Some House members hoped to allow individual divers to remove gear on their own, in addition to a larger effort by the state. >click to read< 09:09
How much fishing gear is lost at sea, worldwide?
The first ever estimate of commercial fishing gear lost in the world’s oceans has been published by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear or ‘ghost gear’,,, Until now there has not been a clear global picture of the quantity and type of fishing gear lost worldwide.,,Using data from 68 studies Currently, much of the data on gear loss is from the United States and Europe, highlighting the need for more information about gear losses in the African, Asian, South American and Oceania regions. >click to read< 16:27
101 lost snow crab traps, 9 km of rope removed from gulf to protect right whales
Federal fishery officers and Canadian Coast Guard crews have removed 101 lost snow crab traps and more than nine kilometres of associated rope from the Gulf of St. Lawrence as part of ongoing efforts to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. The so-called ghost gear,,, Ropeless gear holds hope, Earlier this week, during a stop in Dieppe to discuss whale protection efforts, Jonathan Wilkinson,,, “But certainly from a fisheries perspective we see that as a very, very interesting way to address and separate the issues of fishing versus the whales.” >click to read< 21:36
Ghost Fishing Off Long Island’s Coast
On the deck of the vessel Christine & Jennifer, a dozen tiny mud crabs, each smaller than a fingertip, scuttle out of a rusty lobster trap. The crabs move sideways, exploring the edges of these newly discovered surfaces with their long thin legs. Dan Kuehn, a research technician at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, a nonprofit agency affiliated with Cornell University, inspects the next lobster pot. Something is moving among the wires. He peers inside and says: “One undersized lobster.” Kuehn cradles the small lobster in his hands. This one is lucky — it’s still alive. >click to read<15:46
Ashored Innovations creates ropeless trap to help with marine animal entanglement
According to The United Nations Environment Programme, an estimated 640,000 tons of ghost gear is lost each year. It’s a problem that in 2017, caused the death of 12 North Atlantic right whales, an endangered species that live primarily off the Eastern coast of Canada. Ghost gear—various nets, traps, and rope that are lost from fishing vessels—make up for a large chunk of marine animal entanglement. Add in the amount of plastic that animals choke on and that number skyrockets. It’s here, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that Ashored Innovations is quietly working away on a solution. Some cute action video’s! >click to read<21:31
Fishermen clean up ‘ghost gear’ from Bay of Fundy
The
started dragging the waters off the coast of Saint John and Deer Island seven years ago. More than 500 abandoned traps were hauled up from the bottom of the Bay of Fundy in 2008. “There was concern that there was all this gear down there that was fishing and killing lobsters — could entangle whales. The gear is just fishing and fishing and killing indiscriminately,” said Maria Recchia, the association’s executive director. Read the rest here 08:08
Fishermen haul up other deadliest catch
PROVINCETOWN — Fishing vessel crews from the All In and Miss Lilly pulled in at around 2 p.m. Tuesday to MacMillan Pier from a morning of “ghost” busting. Both boats were loaded with old fishing gear, known as “ghost gear,” that the fishermen had scraped up from the sea floor, in the third annual effort to return lobster traps to owners and rid the sea of junk. Read more here 04:07
