Abandoned Lost or Otherwise Disregarded
Fishing Gear
Key Findings
- Abandoned, Lost or otherwise Disregarded Fishing Gear is one of the major sources of marine litter in global oceans. It is an internationally recognised problem that continues to develop as fishing technology advances (Macfadyen, Huntington, and Cappell, 2009). Modern plastic-based fishing gear persists in oceans for as long as 600 years, further polluting oceans with microplastics as they degrade (UN Environment Programme).
- Organisms may become entangled within abandoned fishing gear, in a phenomenon known as ‘ghost fishing’. Organisms may also be harmed by ingesting this debris, while benthic habitats can be damaged by heavy fishing gear sinking and settling on top. ALDFG can also impact human activities, becoming entangled in boat propellors for example. (Macfadyen, Huntington, and Cappell, 2009).
- On a global scale, it is believed that 640,000 tons of fishing gear is lost annually (Stelfox, Hudgins and Sweet, 2016). All sizes of marine life can be affected by ALDFG, including invertebrates, fish, crustaceans, birds, and mammals (Global Ghost Gear Initiative, 2022). A review of 76 papers concerning megafaunal* entanglement found that 70% of cases involved mammals, such as whales, sea lions and manatees (Stelfox, Hudgins and Sweet, 2016) *mammals, reptiles and sharks.
- 'Limited information is available about the spread of this ALDFG across Scottish waters. However, of all East Coast authorities, the East Grampian area was found to have the highest abundance of ALDFG on its shores between 1994 and 2022 (data from the Marine Conservation Society) (See graph).
- Leaper et al (2022) highlight the significant issue of underreporting affecting the data on Scottish marine entanglements - Those that are reported are disproportionately biased toward operational fishing equipment, with no doubt many unreported entanglements in ALDFG. In fact, MacLennan et al (2021) estimate that only 5% of entanglements are reported, and thus likely the majority of the rest are ALDFG related.
- Despite these data gaps, SMASS (2023) reports a rising trend in both strandings (see graph) and entanglement events, with the highest number of reported entanglement events in 2019 (Leaper et al. 2022)
"Total abundance of fishing gear collected on beaches in all four LCP regions between 1994 and 2022." - from Litter draft document
SMASS (2023)
Notes
None
Linked Information Sheets
Perceived Health of, and Threats to the Marine Environment - Numbers of fishing vessels – Training - Employment
Key sources of Information
Reviewed on/by
27/06/24 by Cathryn Lovie
19/06/24 by Ian Hay
Status
First Draft (this is for demonstration only at this time and has not been reviewed)
To report errors, highlight new data, or discuss alternative interpretations, please complete the form below and we will aim to respond to you within 28 days
Contact us
Telephone: 07971149117
E-mail: ian.hay@stateofthecoast.scot
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.