Stop Ghost Gear

Nearly 90% of the world’s
marine fish stocks are now
fully exploited, overexploited
or depleted, while more than 3
billion people depend on fish as
a major source of protein1. With
a rising population, there is an
increased demand for fish, and
therefore the use of fishing gear.
Gillnets, traps and pots, fish
aggregation devices, and other
gear types are compounding the
problem of plastics in our ocean
as they end up abandoned, lost
or discarded. Ghost gear can
continue to catch target and
non-target species unselectively
for years, potentially decimating
important food resources as well
as endangered species, such as
marine mammals, seabirds, and
turtles. It is the most deadly form
of marine plastic debris which
damages vital ocean habitats,
and poses dangers to navigation
and livelihoods.
While the unattended
consequences of plastic use
are finally beginning to receive
the attention they warrant,
the impacts of ghost gear are
less seen and understood.
This report demonstrates the
scale of the problem at hand,
as well as the gaps in existing
legal frameworks, highlighting
the need for national and
international preventive policies
and practices. WWF urges
governments, fishing gear
producers and designers, fishers,
and the general public to take
decisive action and stop ghost
gear from drowning the ocean we
all depend on.