Deep Dive, Vol. I: Unit 3

All About Ghostnets Deep Dive Volume I - Unit 3

What’s the scariest thing you’ll find in the sea? Here’s a hint: it’s not alive yet can permeate the ocean forever. Yes, perhaps you already guessed, these toxic plastic sea monsters are known as “ghost nets”.

What are ghostnets exactly?

Ghost nets are abandoned fishing nets or other gear, usually made of plastic or nylon, that get left behind in the sea and cause harm or death to life in the ocean.

It is estimated that ghost nets make up 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (now 1.6 million square km in size, three times that of France) and up to 10% of all marine litter.

How much of this floating “country” of garbage is made of ghost gear?

The most common type of ghost net is called a gillnet (also referred to as a driftnet) which, if exceeding 2.5km in length, have been banned within international waters by the UN since 1992. Gillnets are used on top of the water’s surface as well as on the seabed, acting like a wall in which fish and other marine life become quickly entangled. There are also pots and other box-like traps.

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Example Sketch Of Fish Aggregating Devoce

Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) are typically bamboo netting with buoys attached, and are used beneath a fishing boat to trap extra catch. Purse seine netting, named for its purse-like structure, works to envelop schools of fish, pulled to the surface at the right moment. Trawling involves large volumes of netting being pulled along the back of a heavy boat. Due to the nature of this practice, netting can become easily caught at the bottom of the ocean. Fish cages, wiring and hooks are also classified as ghost fishing equipment.

Ghost nets are a threat to a multitude of ocean species, big and small: Ghost nets don’t only catch fish; they also entangle sea turtles, dolphins, porpoises, birds, sharks and seals.

These animals swim into nets, often unable to detect them, and either sustain injuries or are drowned or suffocated.

In 2018, it was reported that up to 650 000 marine animals are killed by ghost nets every year. If the animal is lucky enough to escape, it may still die from its injuries. Often these tragic circumstances cause a long, painful death. If the ghost net is caught on the seabed, smaller ocean creatures begin feeding on the dead catch in the nets, reducing its weight and allowing the netting to float up to the surface again. This in turn creates a destructive cycle.

What can we do to prevent ghostnets?

Beneath the Surface Deep Dive Vol. I Unit 3: Ghostnets!

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eco probs

WHEN FISH SUFFER,

THE INDUSTRY SUFFERS

Ghost nets damage underwater habitats, pollute he marine environment, and cause economic loss to the fishing industry.

A diver rescuing a coral reef from a ghost net (photo: WWF)

The good news is that China is taking the problem of marine litter seriously, enacting zero waste policies, especially when it comes to plastic pollution.

According to the Chinese government, by 2025 the control of plastic pollution will be more effective. The waste responsibilities of local governments, departments and enterprises will be effectively implemented, governance of plastic whole-chain covering production, circulation, consumption, recycling and end disposal will be more efficient, and plastic pollution will be effectively curbed. The incineration rate in China will not got over 800000 tons/day, and the direct landfill volume of plastic waste will be greatly reduced.

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The Marine Environment Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China formulates that coastal local governments shall be responsible for the prevention and control of marine litter pollution in the sea areas under their administration, establish a system for monitoring and cleaning up marine litter, coordinate the planning and construction of land-based facilities for receiving, transferring and treating marine litter, specify the areas for management and control of marine litter by relevant departments, township, sub-district, enterprises and public institutions, establish and organize the implementation of a system for monitoring, intercepting, collecting, salvaging, transporting and treating marine litter and take effective measures to encourage and support public participation in the aforementioned activities.

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All About Ghostnets Follow Up Questions

Why are ghostnets so dangerous?

Why are there so many ghostnets worldwide?

Who is working on the problem of ghostnets?

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Poster design Get the message across: Gather 3 or more of the statistics you have about ghostnets, for example: 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made of discarded fishing gear 650,000 animals are killed by ghostnets annually Ghostnets make up 10% of all marine litter Center your image and/or text to display the central topic of your poster message: GHOSTNETS

Arrange the statistics around the central image and/or text.

Proofread then use final ink for text. Add border and additional images as desired.

Make copies of your poster as needed and hang in approved, high traffic areas in your community.

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Follow Up: Discussion Points Ghost fishing nets are left in the sea for a variety of reasons. Gear may be abandoned when fishermen cannot retrieve the net due to it snagging on rocks and coral on the seabed. Some fishing vessels cannot afford to retrieve stuck gear. Fishing nets are considered lost when marker buoys become detached or if heavy tides remove netting from its original location of deployment.

Retrieval becomes especially difficult if the vessel does not use GPS technology. Sometimes ghost nets are abandoned deliberately due to poor on-shore facilitation for disposal as well as high disposal costs.

Additionally, if an illegal fishing vessel is in danger of being caught, nets may be cut off or thrown overboard.

What Can Be Done?

There are a great number of solutions and technological measures that have been implemented to help retrieve ghost nets – if used more broadly with government support, the clean-up process could be more efficient and widespread. Producing nets with biodegradable components could shorten the time that abandoned gear is left intact in the ocean. Project NetTag is working on a special underwater acoustic transponder for fishermen to secure to their gear. About the size of a matchbox, these transponders have batteries similar to smartphones, but use circuitry which requires very low power, which means they can operate for many months attached to a net. Another European project called MarGnet has been researching the effectiveness of a sonar device which is attached to the seabed to decipher pollution hot-spots through generating an 360 degree underwater map which is then investigated by diving teams. Underwater drones such as Deep Trekker’s Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are able to operate in extreme weather conditions and are a useful tool in locating ghost nets. In 2015, a WWF-led search along the Baltic Sea resulted in 268 tons of ghost fishing gear being removed from the ocean. There are plenty of other examples of grassroot clean-up of missions.

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Governments across the world should do more to remove ghost nets and clamp down on illegal fishing. World Animal Protection has formed a Global Ghost Gear Initiative that calls for an alliance of governments and organisations to share data, resources and education on the issue as well as coordinate search efforts. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) underpin the rules and legalities of human activity at sea, but WWF says that more action must be taken to apply these regulations. Article 194 of the convention provides for state regulation of fishing gear by providing the licensing of fishing equipment used in waters under national jurisdiction. However, implementation and enforcement should be strengthened at the global, regional and national levels, including through the adoption of adequate implementing legislation.

The Erub Art Collective in Australia has given ghostnets a new life.

In 2009, the European Community Council Regulation enforced a law stating that fishermen are obligated to retrieve and report lost netting. However, Greek fisherman Vannis Athinaios has witnessed this law being ignored: “The law is not enforced. Most of us have equipment like GPS and plotters. Big boats have advanced equipment and crews of divers to track lost gear down, but they don’t do it because they can make €6,000, the cost say, of a lost net on any given day.”

In 2008, The FAO Committee on Fisheries set guidelines for marking fishing gear, however they are voluntary. Elizabeth Hogan of Oceans and Wildlife with World Animal Protection says that governments should take the matter more seriously, “This would not only result in loss prevention by responsible fisheries, it would also help stop illegal fishing (IUU), which accounts for intentionally discarded gear (typically abandoned at sea to avoid detection). IUU fishing costs the global economy US$20 billion annually. Marked gear would help authorities track illegal fishing activity and bring criminals to justice.”

Overall, more awareness and education needs to be provided to better communicate the pervasiveness, danger and durability of ghost fishing equipment within our oceans. With ghost nets dubbed the ‘silent killers’ of the sea, the problem can only be addressed if governments come together on a world-wide level and work collectively to reduce unnecessary marine-life deaths. As of now, 16 governments have joined forces to achieve the goals of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative. If more governments make a commitment to carefully enforce strict rules and regulations to rid the oceans of this marine litter, this would be a great step in helping to establish much healthier oceans and safer marine life.

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To Laugh or Not To Laugh: Create A Ghostnet Com

add text Here

add text Here

later...

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To Laugh or Not To Laugh: Create A Ghostnet Com

add text Here

add text Here

THE END

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poetry‌

FOR THE SEA‌ Imagine the struggle and horror of a sea creature trapped in a ghost net.

Describe the problem from the perspective of the victim as best you can.

Use the expressive technique of poetry to guide you through creative sensory writing. .

Use a simple rule format, like following a haiku or sonnet form for structure, if needed.

Use the pages that follow to draft your poem.

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Ghostnets Ghostnets (Chinese: (Chinese:

鬼网, pronounced "guǐǐ wǎng" ǎ

Dive 4 Love Global Ocean Ambassador: Li Da

, pronounced "gu

w

ng"

Defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):

"...lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets that are drifting in the ocean currents, ensnaring, harming and killing wildlife.

These floating nets trap other nets, plastic and organic debris, as well as a range of fish, turtles, seabirds and marine mammals.

Underwater Film/Commercial Director, Underwater Portrait Wide-Angle Photography Instructor, Diving Image Ambassador, PADI Freediving Instructor/Trainer/Mermaid Instructor, Personal Freediving Depth Record: 74 meters, Static Breath-Holding Time: 6 minutes 09 seconds, National Geographic/Sony/Padi Contracted Photographer, GCPA Photography Competition Gold Award Winner, Global Traveler, Visited 47 Countries and 197 Regions

Predatory species like turtles are lured into the nets by the fish already caught and then become entangled themselves. Often unable to break free from the mesh, they drown or slowly starve to death. The nets are made out of strong plastic-type material and persist in the water for a very long time, killing and killing again."

Some nonprofit profit organizations, like Dive for Love in China, host clean up events below sea level with SCUBA diving volunteers, as well as educate the local fishing industry about harmful waste disposal and alternatives, plus consult and advise the government on environmental policy.

Check out more Dive for Love Ambassadors and their life saving work: https://www.dive4love.org/

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Opinion Writing: Jobs

Would You Rather deep sea diver

OR

Deep Space Astronaut

Would you rather be a deep sea diver or a deep space astronaut? Why?

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Opinion Writing: Jobs

Would You Rather travel for work

OR

work from home

Would you rather travel for work or work from home? Why?

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Opinion Writing: Jobs

Would You Rather Care for people

OR

care for animals

Would you rather provide care for people or for animals? Why?

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Opinion Writing: Jobs

Would You Rather Grow Your Food

OR

Fish For Your Food

Would you rather Grow your own food or fish for your food? Why?

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Journal Reflection: Human Actions Choose 1 of the questions below to journal about on the following pages.

Why is it important to recognize human impact on the environment?

How can my actions affect the health and quality of my environment?

How are human actions destroying and degrading natural habitats, leading to premature extinction for many species?

In what ways are human activities putting stress on ecosystems?

How do my experiences affect the decisions/choices I make and my role as a citizen of the global community?

How do I determine what is the “right behavior” toward our environment?

What are my responsibilities to other people and to other living things?

How can I work with others to shape a culture that produces little or no non-recyclable waste?

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