Ghost Gear Crisis: How Global Conservation Efforts Are Rescuing Oceans from Deadly Abandoned Fishing Nets

Lurking beneath the waves is a silent but deadly threat that continues to endanger marine ecosystems across the globe. Known as “ghost gear,” these abandoned fishing nets, traps, pots, ropes, and other discarded fishing equipment—most of it made from plastic—have been polluting oceans for decades.

Once lost or abandoned, this gear continues to drift through the water, trapping and killing marine life long after its intended use has ended.

The scale of the problem is immense.

A landmark report published in 2009 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear accounts for roughly 10 percent of all marine debris worldwide, contributing around 640,000 tonnes of waste each year.

Further highlighting the severity of the issue, a multinational study published in PLOS One in 2014 found that ghost gear makes up nearly 70 percent, by weight, of the floating large plastic debris found in the world’s five major ocean garbage patches.

While these statistics paint a worrying picture, there is encouraging progress. Around the world, governments, environmental organizations, researchers, and fishing communities are joining forces to remove ghost gear from the oceans.

More importantly, these efforts are becoming increasingly organized and collaborative.

One of the leading forces behind this movement is the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), established by the UK-based animal welfare organization World Animal Protection.

Over the last decade, the initiative has grown into a global alliance involving more than 150 organizations across 20 countries, all working together to reduce the impact of abandoned fishing equipment on marine habitats.

“Ten years ago, ghost gear was considered a relatively overlooked environmental issue, with different groups working independently and without a common strategy,” says Ingrid Giskes, Senior Director of GGGI.

“Today, coordinated global action has helped bring the issue to the forefront of environmental discussions and accelerated meaningful solutions.”

India has also emerged as an important player in tackling the problem. Over the past five years, several projects have been launched to address marine litter and ghost gear recovery.

Among the most successful is a programme led by the Trust for Environment Education (TREE), which uses Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding to reward fishermen for retrieving abandoned fishing nets from the sea.

Under this initiative, fishermen receive ₹10 for every kilogram of ghost nets they recover. Since 2021, the programme has engaged more than 1,000 fishermen across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Goa.

Together, they have recovered more than 217 tonnes of discarded fishing nets, according to TREE founder Supraja Dharini.

For many participants, the initiative is about far more than financial compensation. C. Sedhupathy, a fisherman from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, describes the work as a meaningful contribution to ocean conservation.

Recovering ghost nets, he says, feels like “cleaning the ocean” while also helping save countless marine animals from unnecessary suffering.

The ecological damage caused by ghost gear is substantial. According to World Animal Protection, abandoned fishing equipment is responsible for the deaths of approximately 136,000 seals, sea lions, and large whales every year.

Witnessing this destruction firsthand inspired marine conservationist Supraja Dharini to expand her work beyond sea turtle conservation and focus on removing ghost gear from coastal waters.

She explains that entanglement in discarded nets can cause devastating injuries. A sea turtle that loses one flipper may still survive and return to the wild.

However, when multiple limbs are lost, its chances of survival diminish dramatically, often making rehabilitation impossible.

Recovering ghost gear is not always a straightforward task.

While some nets can be hauled aboard fishing boats, larger objects such as crab traps, aquaculture structures, and heavy fishing equipment often require specialized operations involving underwater surveys, professional divers, remotely operated vehicles, and sonar technology.

In Canada’s British Columbia, the Emerald Sea Protection Society has spent years coordinating large-scale recovery missions with local fishermen and diving teams.

Similar efforts are taking place across North America, where groups of commercial fisherwomen known as Sirenas de Mexico—or “Mermaids of Mexico”—are receiving professional dive training through Conservation International Mexico.

Armed with diving equipment and a deep commitment to marine conservation, these women descend beneath the ocean surface to locate and remove abandoned fishing gear.

For many, the experience has fundamentally changed their relationship with the sea.

“Diving allows you to experience the ocean in its purest and most magnificent form,” diver Gloria Acevedo told Smithsonian Magazine.

“From tiny marine creatures to the largest ocean species, every dive reveals something extraordinary. It completely transformed my understanding of the underwater world.”

In neighbouring Sri Lanka, a youth-led organization called The Pearl Protectors has been combining recreational diving with environmental restoration since 2021.

Through its Cleaner Seabeds programme, volunteers focus on removing ghost gear from coral reefs and other environmentally sensitive marine habitats.

Over the past five years, 354 volunteers have successfully recovered more than 2.3 tonnes of discarded fishing nets and marine debris.

Their efforts have helped safeguard fragile reef ecosystems that are increasingly threatened by abandoned fishing equipment.

According to conservationist and commercial diver Muditha Katuwawala, ghost nets pose a significant threat to shallow-water coral reefs.

These nets often become entangled around coral structures, damaging reef ecosystems, trapping marine species, and destroying critical underwater habitats.

The consequences extend far beyond marine biodiversity. Damaged reefs can reduce fish populations, affect local fisheries, and degrade water quality.

The loss of natural filter-feeding organisms such as corals and barnacles can increase sediment accumulation, further harming marine ecosystems.

In addition, reef degradation can negatively impact tourism by diminishing opportunities for activities such as snorkelling and scuba diving.

As awareness of the ghost gear crisis continues to grow, communities around the world are demonstrating that collective action can make a real difference.

From fishermen recovering abandoned nets to volunteer divers clearing fragile coral reefs, a global movement is steadily gaining momentum—one dedicated to restoring healthier oceans and protecting marine life for generations to come.