Marine Debris and Wildlife Entanglement: A Growing Crisis

Marine debris - particularly plastic fishing gear and packaging - entangles and kills hundreds of thousands of marine animals annually, from seabirds to whales, in one of the most preventable sources of wildlife suffering.

Key Facts

An estimated 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is lost or abandoned in the ocean annually - 'ghost gear'
Ghost gear continues fishing indefinitely - ghost nets have been found trapping fish decades after loss
Entanglement in marine debris causes death in seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, and large fish
Over 800 species of marine animals are known to be affected by marine debris
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains an estimated 80,000 tonnes of plastic, predominantly fishing gear
Entangled marine mammals often carry gear for months or years before death or intervention
Ghost Gear Initiative coordinates industry, government, and NGO efforts to reduce abandoned fishing gear
Biodegradable fishing gear is under development as a systemic solution to ghost gear problems

Welfare Considerations

Entanglement causes severe, prolonged suffering - animals dragging heavy fishing gear experience exhaustion, injury from line abrasion cutting into flesh, infection, and eventual drowning or starvation. Humpback whales, sea turtles, and fur seals are among the most commonly documented victims. Disentanglement teams can rescue some animals, but many entangled individuals are never found or cannot be safely approached. The welfare cost of ghost gear is ongoing and cumulative - each piece of lost gear continues trapping animals. The systemic solution requires reducing gear loss through better fishing practices, gear tracking technology, and biodegradable gear adoption.

What You Can Do

Support ghost gear retrieval and recycling organizations like Ghost Gear Initiative
Choose seafood certified under programs that include gear loss reduction requirements
Participate in beach clean-up events to remove debris before it enters the marine environment
Advocate for mandatory gear marking and loss reporting requirements for fishing vessels
Support development and adoption of biodegradable fishing gear technology