Marine debris is a serious global problem, and ghost nets have become one of the greatest threats to marine life. According to estimates by World Animal Protection (WAP), each abandoned fishing net can trap 30 to 40 marine animals. At this year's APEC Marine Debris Regional Governance Workshop and International Forum, hosted by the Ocean Affairs Council, Australian non-profit organisation Tangaroa Blue Foundation (TBF) shared their initiative, Project ReCon, which uses technology to track and retrieve ghost nets.
On the day of the forum, Ye Zongxian, Section Chief of the Fishing Port Management Division at the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau, also exchanged ideas with international partners on Kaohsiung's abandoned fishing net recycling and reuse programme. It's a global battle against stubborn fishing nets! At the end of the article, the Editor also shares a firsthand experience of diving and conducting an ocean cleanup to remove fishing nets — read on to find out more.
Recovering Marine Debris: Joining "Project ReCon" to Clear Fishing Nets
TBF is an Australian non-profit organisation dedicated to removing and preventing marine debris. Concerned about the damage ghost nets inflict on the Great Barrier Reef's coral reefs and marine life, they launched Project ReCon — the world's first programme to use satellite technology to tag and track fishing nets. What makes it especially remarkable is that the equipment used is built from recovered discarded fishing gear.
The Australian non-profit organisation uses satellite technology to track ghost nets. Image source: Project ReCon
Project ReCon repurposes decommissioned fishery buoys fitted with Echosounder Buoys — devices commonly used in purse-seine tuna fishing that can detect the quantity of marine life within 115 m below the buoy. These are now deployed to report marine debris: when a ghost net is detected, the buoy continuously transmits signals via satellite, relaying the net's location and information.
Project ReCon works with more than 83 vessels and 21 tuna companies. When a partner spots a fishing net while at sea, they can immediately attach a buoy to it; the satellite then relays the information, and a retrieval team is dispatched as soon as the alert is received. Because the team can track the buoy's movement via satellite and monitor the net's location in real time, partners can continue their work undisturbed by the net while they wait for the retrieval crew to arrive.
In addition, this technology can also be used for prevention. Virtual fences can be marked around ecologically sensitive coral reef areas of the Great Barrier Reef, triggering an automatic alert whenever a ghost net drifts into the zone. This allows the work team to remove the net as quickly as possible, minimising the ecological threat at the earliest stage.
The Negative Impacts of Ghost Nets and Fishing Gear as Marine Debris
Hidden throughout the ocean are all manner of ghost fishing gear — including nets, fishing lines, lobster traps, and other man-made devices used to catch marine animals. The negative impacts extend beyond a marine conservation crisis; they can also lead to a reduction in commercially caught fish.
The Marine Conservation Crisis Caused by Abandoned Fishing Nets
According to data provided by World Animal Protection, rough estimates suggest at least 136,000 seals, sea lions, and large whales are harmed every year. For every tonne of ghost fishing nets and gear, an estimated 125 tonnes of fish are trapped. Ocean Conservancy further points out that 45% of marine mammals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are affected, with cascading impacts on entire ecosystems.
Abandoned Fishing Nets Lead to a Decline in Commercial Fish Catches
Even after being abandoned in the ocean, fishing nets created through human activity continue to trap fish. Ocean Conservancy estimates that 90% of fish trapped globally are of commercial value. These unmonitored ghost fishing devices, which never stop "fishing," are projected to cause a 30% decline in certain fish populations, threatening fishery resources and food supply.
Don't Let Abandoned Fishing Nets Become Marine Debris! Kaohsiung Launches Recycling Incentives
To prevent abandoned fishing nets from becoming marine debris, the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau introduced a recycling incentive: every 10 kg of fishing nets can be exchanged for NT$150 in convenience store gift vouchers. The incentive scheme proved effective. Since the abandoned fishing net recycling and reuse pilot programme launched in 2018, a total of 119 metric tonnes of fishing nets have been collected over five years.
Ye Zongxian, Section Chief of the Fishing Port Management Division at the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau, shared that the key was "making fishermen understand that abandoned nets have value." Through active education, training, and outreach conducted by seven fishermen's associations, fishermen were willing to make a small effort to contribute to marine conservation. Ye Zongxian noted that the most time- and labour-intensive stage of the recycling process is "pre-treatment" — manually removing floats, sinkers, and other attachments. After this painstaking pre-treatment, the discarded nets can be reprocessed into reusable plastic pellets. Last year's reuse rate reached 50%, and this year it is expected to rise to 60%.
Ye Zongxian, Section Chief of the Fishing Port Management Division at the Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau, presents Kaohsiung's abandoned fishing net recycling and reuse pilot programme.
Clearing Fishing Nets Is No Easy Task! The Editor's Experience
While diving and documenting various major dive sites around Taiwan, the Editor has witnessed abandoned fishing nets harming ecosystems on multiple occasions — for example, at "Turtle Egg," a dive site near Turtle Island, a fishing net was observed blanketing a wide area of coral reef. At the time, a fellow diver rallied 14 experienced divers who, fighting the current while cutting through the net, finally managed to clear a significant portion of it, before using a surface marker buoy (SMB) to bring the net up to the surface.
Every ocean cleanup and net-clearing effort reveals countless trapped marine animals — crabs, pufferfish, and more — buried within the nets piled on the bow. The disheartening reality is that it never seems to end: the nets spotted at Turtle Egg, for instance, were likely several nets tangled together into one massive clump, with the extent stretching even deeper below... To truly protect marine ecosystems, source management is even more important than ocean cleanups and net removal alone.
This time, the Editor attended the APEC Marine Debris Regional Governance Workshop and International Forum, and heard experts from many countries share their marine debris collection technologies and circular-use approaches. It is our hope that cross-sector exchanges will help make our oceans a better place. The Editor will continue to follow developments and share the latest ocean news from around the world. Sign up as a member and subscribe to our newsletter to receive more BlueTrend updates from the sea.
Editor: Jenny Tsai
References:
Further Reading:
