Lost and abandoned fishing gear continues to trap and kill marine animals for years after it is discarded, making ghost fishing one of the most persistent and insidious sources of wildlife suffering in ocean environments.
Ghost fishing represents a form of wildlife harm that continues autonomously without any ongoing human intent — making its scale particularly difficult to quantify and address. Welfare interventions include lost gear retrieval, port reception facilities for retrieved gear, regulatory requirements for gear marking, and development of biodegradable net materials. Consumer support for sustainable fisheries certification that includes gear loss management standards creates market incentives for improvement.