Marine Debris and Animal Entanglement: A Global Welfare Crisis

Plastic pollution and lost fishing gear trap, injure and kill hundreds of thousands of marine animals each year in one of the most pervasive human-caused welfare crises in the ocean.

Key Facts

An estimated 640,000 tonnes of ghost gear (abandoned fishing equipment) enter the oceans annually
Over 700 marine species have been documented entangled in or having ingested marine debris
Green sea turtles with monofilament line wrapped around flippers face weeks of ischaemic injury before limb loss or death
Entanglement in ghost nets is a leading cause of mortality in whale populations including right whales and humpbacks
The Global Ghost Gear Initiative coordinates retrieval and industry solutions to reduce gear abandonment

Welfare Considerations

Entanglement in marine debris causes some of the most prolonged suffering documented in wildlife welfare. A humpback whale wrapped in lobster pot lines and buoys may drag hundreds of kilograms of gear for months, the constricting lines cutting progressively deeper into blubber and flesh as it grows. Seals and sea lions with plastic rings around their necks slowly suffocate as their bodies grow against the constriction. Sea turtles lose flippers to monofilament. These are not quick deaths or injuries; they are extended suffering episodes that, in the case of large whales, may persist for a year or more.

What You Can Do

Participate in beach and coastal clean-up events removing ghost gear and debris from shorelines
Support the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup
Never discard fishing line, nets or packaging near water — dispose via fishing tackle shop recycling programmes
Donate to entanglement rescue organisations like the British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Advocate for legislation requiring GPS tagging of commercial fishing gear to enable retrieval of abandoned gear