When fishing nets are abandoned or lost at sea they become a great danger to marine life.
When this happens, “ghost fishing” occurs because the nets continue to catch sea creatures.
These nets can drown, suffocate, maim, starve, and exhaust animals such as sharks, dolphins,
whales, seals, turtles, fish, and birds to death. These nets can last for hundreds of years and
float through the ocean senselessly harming animals. Not only do they pose a threat to the
animals themselves, but also to their habitats such as coral reefs.
Back in the day, nets were made from biodegradable hemp or cotton but now are made from
synthetic materials, plastics, and other materials that harm marine life. Even when these nets do
end up deteriorating and separating the smaller particles can be eaten by animals and release
harmful chemicals into the ocean. A lot of the time it is impossible to see the nets from the surface
of the ocean, making it difficult to locate them.
Luckily, awareness of ghost fishing is rising and there are programs designated forthe removal
of these nets from our oceans. Organizations like Ghost Fishing, aptly named after the problem
they are trying to fix, are dedicated to removing nets all around the world.