Experts collaborate to reduce ‘Ghost Fishing’
The abandonment and discarding of commercial fishing gear is one of the most problematic types of marine debris. It can remain in the oceans for years continuing to entangle fish and marine animals in its nets and killing them– a phenomenon known as ‘ghost fishing’.
The marking of fishing gear can reduce this phenomenon. Marking gear is needed for two basic reasons. Firstly, to locate the gear, and secondly to identify ownership when gear is abandoned, lost or discarded.
Recently, Experts from the South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) and Pacific Community (SPC) Division of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) participated in an FAO Expert Consultation on the Marking of Fishing Gear in Rome, Italy.
Deputy Director FAME (Coastal Fisheries) at SPC, Lindsay Chapman and Michael Donoghue, Threatened and Migratory Species Adviser, together with Frank Chopin from FAO Subregional office of the Pacific Islands participated in the consultation.
“Increased awareness on the risks to navigation from abandoned fishing gears coupled with commercially available technologies to recover them are boosting efforts to reduce ghost fishing and its harmful impacts on fish stocks and endangered species. This is lending new impetus to FAO efforts to develop gear marking guidelines aimed at tackling the problem” said Francis Chopin Senior fisheries and aquaculture officer from FAOs Pacific Subregional Office.
Lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear or ALDFG makes up a significant portion of all marine debris, a growing problem in marine ecosystems. Levels of ALDFG have gone up significantly in recent decades as a result of increases in the scale of fishing operations and the growing use of long-lasting synthetic materials. At present, it accounts for about one-tenth of all marine litter, translating into hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually.
“In the Pacific, the use of drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the offshore purse seine fishery has become widespread, with an estimated 40,000-80,000 of these floating buoy structures in the oceans. FADs have aggregators made from sections of netting below them to a depth of 20-50 metres. They can become a navigational hazards if not properly marked and the aggregators can tangle in reefs when they drift into shallow waters” said Lindsay Chapman, Deputy-Director FAME (Coastal Fisheries).
The effective marking of fishing gear in busy multi-user sea areas is key to preventing loss and protecting marine ecosystems. Fishers can also benefit from the use of new gear tagging technologies which will allow them to minimise risk of loss of potential catch, prevent the loss of equipment which can be very expensive, and save time searching for lost gear.
“It is not only environmental impacts that we have to be concerned with. “Unattended fishing gears as well as abandoned and lost gears are a hazard to safe navigation due to fouling of ship propulsion systems and propellers. Loss of power or steerage due to fouling by fishing gear can result in accidents and fatalities at sea. Marking can also assist in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, by allowing control authorities to monitor how fishing gear is being used in their waters and who is using it” said Francis Chopin.
New technologies for tracking lost gear
Today, advances in marking technology are offering new possibilities for efficient tracking and recovery of lost gear and are changing the way the problem is being tackled. For example,coded wire tags (CWTs) are being tested as a potential tool for reducing entanglements of marine mammals, turtles and other large marine animals. The nano sized, laser-etched CTWs implanted in fishing ropes with no effect on fishing performance but making them detectable to special sensors.
Satellite buoys with solar power are now commonly used in industrial purse seine operations, providing unlimited range and extra-long operating time. Other sensors such as GPS receivers, temperature gauges, and acoustic listening devices can be attached to a radio buoy and used to transmit data to a receiver on a vessel or shore based monitoring centre.
Marking also a tool to combat illegal fishing
FAO has expressed concerns regarding vessels involved in illegal or irresponsible fishing or dumping their fishing gear – which may not comply with local rules – or when patrol vessels are in sight or when entry to a port is denied. They are also much less likely to report when gear is lost in extreme weather or through operator error. If gear is well marked and has sufficient identification so it can be linked to a vessel or a gear register, however, this offers a useful tool for fisheries law enforcement agencies said FAO.
International guidelines in the works
Past efforts to develop international guidelines have been largely fragmented. However, increased congestion in coastal waters, risks to safe navigation and concern over entrapment of endangered, threatened and protective species of fish and other animals have provided a rallying call to the international community. There are few harmonized and systematic requirements for ownership marking of gear but that is starting to change.
FAO has initiated a consultative process aimed at developing a set of International Technical Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear to meet this need. An initial set of draft guidelines were discussed and worked on during a meeting of experts held at FAO’s Rome headquarters in early April. The results will be presented to the FAO governing body The Committee on Fisheries in July 2016 for review and consideration of the next steps.
While there are clear merits marking gear effectively, the approach needs to be cost effective and not place unnecessary burdens on fishers and administrations. There is a win-win solution for many fisheries but it will require careful analysis of the costs and benefits of gear marking. A risk assessment would help identify the need for such systems and contribute to tailoring the gear marking system to each fishery on a case by case basis.
“What we need is a simple and affordable system that permits easy identification of ownership of gear, fishery of origin and position of gear in the water,” said FAO. “The development of internationally recognised standards on marking all fishing gear will help us to better understand the reasons for gear loss and identify appropriate preventive measures.”