Ghost fishing is one of the most serious problems of marine pollution, which affects the health of the oceans and endangers marine biodiversity. When a fishing gear is hooked or abandoned in the aquatic environment, it affects the ecosystems and various existing species, in addition to representing serious risks for activities such as navigation and other fishing activities. Therefore, to increase knowledge of this reality, specialists from Mexico, Argentina and Peru presented experiences and proposals to reduce the negative effects of this threat, related to diagnosis, recovery of fishing gear, application of good practices for prevent and mitigate ghost fishing. The seminar was attended by more than 236 attendees from different countries such as Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.

Lack of understanding of the magnitude of the problem aggravates the situation. Edgardo Ochoa, Marine Safety and Diving Officer of Conservation International mentioned that there is a great lack of knowledge in society about this problem. “It is estimated that 5.7% of all nets, 8.6% of all traps and 29% of all lines are discarded each year worldwide. Faced with this reality, we decided to create training with PADI, the world's most important diving certification agency, to recover abandoned and discarded fishing gear. The course was made for non-professional divers, where the people who dive can collaborate with this task”, he explained.
 

Claudia Gonzáles, Project Coordinator of the Global Ghost Networks Initiative (GGGI), commented that it is important to consider three key aspects: prevention, mitigation and remediation. “For example, in the case of Mexico, the problem of ghost fishing was addressed by focusing on the threat to the sea vaquita, in the northern Gulf of Baja California. In 2016, the Government of Mexico, with other actors and civil society organizations, worked together with the objective of removing the largest amount of abandoned fishing nets in the region that harmed this mammal. A total of 1,400 nets were recovered from the sea.
 

Successful experiences like the above motivate us to continue working on reducing ghost fishing. In the case of Peru, important efforts have also been made. Since 2001, IMARPE has carried out investigations on the stocking of fishing gear, identification of probable areas of obstacles for the hake trawling fleet, overlapping fishing areas with the eel fleet, among others. In 2019, IMARPE and WWF began conversations to contribute to addressing this problem in the field of artisanal fishing. In 2022, the technical cooperation agreement was signed between both institutions related to the subject. Part of the effort that is being made is a diagnosis and modeling to find out the points where abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear accumulates”. This alliance will allow to continue with the identification of opportunities for the development of activities aimed at preventing and mitigating the impact of ghost fishing in Peru; Commented on behalf of the WWF and IMARPE Ghost Fishing team, Nadia Balducci, specialist in Clean Oceans and Julio Alarcón, specialist in Fishing Gear Research.

In addition to these actions, WWF has also contributed to mitigating the negative effects of this phenomenon in Peru, together with other key actors such as artisanal fishermen and the private sector. In 2022, WWF collected more than 2,000 kilos of monofilament fishing nets, and has been experimenting in the transformation for the production of products promoting a circular economy in collaboration with the company Bureo. In addition, WWF has been working hand in hand with the fishing communities of Los Órganos, Máncora, and San José in the Redcicla project and it is being implemented in Cabo Blanco, Cáncas and Vegueta, expecting significant results for the well-being of the marine-coastal ecosystem.

The International Seminar has made it possible to identify creative and innovative solutions for the future in our fisheries, such as the marking of fishing gear, which serves to identify, prevent and recover lost fishing gear; and promote the use of technology and research, which allows, for example, manufacturing fishing gear from biodegradable materials. Also, it is necessary to address the normative or regulatory aspect to better monitor ghost fishing. In fact, on the global stage, the legally binding global agreement to end plastic pollution could address the problem of ghost fishing and thus reduce its impact on a global scale.

Finally, Edgardo Ochoa reaffirmed that the problem has many sides, its impact is greater than we imagine. “There are fishermen who can no longer obtain the same resources from the sea as before. We need to make visible the stories of these fishing communities that suffer these negative effects. In addition, it is important to encourage joint work between countries to address this global problem,” said the Conservation International specialist. A lesson learned from the seminar is that ghost fishing is everyone's task, led by the State with political will, and that includes the joint work of all those involved, that is, the key actors that are artisanal fishermen, local authorities , regional, civil society, etc.