Ghost Nets in Our Oceans

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Table Of Contents

Table Of Figures 3

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................4
The Problem of Ghost Nets in Our Seas..................................................................................5
Our Coral Reefs..............................................................................................................................5

Reducing The Amount of Ghost Nets......................................................................................6

Trash Cans Helping to Reduce Ghost Nets..............................................................................6
Getting Started.....................................................................................................................................................7
Encouraging Rightful Actions................................................................................................................................7
Limitations to This Solution.................................................................................................................................8

Conclusion..............................................................................................................................8
Work Cited..............................................................................................................................9

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Table Of Figures
Figure 1: Trash cans are put around near fishing areas specifically for fishing gear.....................4

Figure 2: Coral reefs are being harmed due to the blockage of ghost nets...................................5

Figure 3: Placing bins near fishing areas will advocate for correct discard of fishing gear............7

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Executive Summary
The issue of ghost nets has been a growing issue throughout the past year. Ghost nets are nets
that are lost or disregarded wrongly by fishermen, crabbers, etc. They can also include things
such as buoys, traps, fishing line, and dredges. These nets don’t seem like they would be that
problematic, but they have recently brought many concerns about the sea life. Ghost nets have
been threatening to sea life and can cause death in some serious cases. These nets can get
wrapped around animal’s necks, trapped on coral reefs, and much more. “More than 100 million
pounds of commercial fishing gear is abandoned, lost, or discarded into the ocean every year”
(4Ocean). This quote puts into perspective how much ghost nets are truly in our oceans and how
such a large number can be harmful. To protect our sea life as much as possible I have come up
with a solution that could decrease the amount of ghost nets that we find in our seas. Placing
more trash cans and recycling bins where boaters, fishers, etc. can throw their old supplies away
could essentially help to decrease this large number of ghost nets we see today. Looking around
at places like beaches, boating docks, and fishing areas there are hardly any trash cans around.
This acts as a temptation for people the throw their trash in the waters. Placing trash cans and
recycling bins around certain areas is not an end to this on growing problem, but this is a solution
that can definitely help us to start decreasing this large number of ghost nets. Figure 1 shows a
convenient trash bin that is palced off the trail that fishers have to take back to their vehicle. This
solution does not have to be that pricey or time consuming as well. We must take action to save
our seas and sea life.

The Problem of Ghost Nets in

Our Seas
Ghost nets are considered nets, fishing Figure 1: Trash cans are put around near fishing areas specifically for
line, traps, etc. that are left and fishing gear.

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 abandoned in the ocean. Because these nets are not degradable, they continue to harm anything
in its way. Hundreds of animals can be caught in just one singular net, this can be very
detrimental to our sea life. It can cause many serious injuries to these animals or in serious cases
can cause death. With ghost nets being a growing problem, we are risking the lives of many of
our marine and sea life. “According to a 2018 study in Scientific Reports, ghost nets make up at
least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (Hancock, WWF). This quote states how
large the problem of ghost nets can truly be. Fishing lines and little nets thrown out here and
there will all eventually add up. They can be a threat to not only fishes but many other large
marine life including sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and more. Today, we see a big decline in many
animal populations due to many human factoring reasons. “In 2018, it was reported that up
to 650 000 marine animals are killed by ghost nets every year” (Hadley, 2020). Referring back to
the quote, it is hard to maintain large bodies of water due to lack of equipment or many other
reasons and many marine life suffer the consequences of this, Dealing with the ocean, it can be
trickier to help these animals due to large bodies of water, limited equipment, and more. We
must act to do something on land that can help our marine life.

Our Coral Reefs

Our coral reefs are another major factor that is being affected by these ghost nets. As these
abandoned nets sink and settle in the bottom of the ocean, they can tend to get wrapped around
plant life, such as coral reefs. “And ghost nets harm coral reefs too—breaking corals, exposing
them to disease, and even blocking the reefs from needed sunlight” (Hancock, WWF). Figure 2
shows a ghost ent being retrieved to hopefully save the coral it landed on. Because coral reefs are
already being protected due to the major threats they face, we should work to eliminate another
growing issue. According to the Coral Reef Alliance, many of the other issues coral reefs face
are things such as sea level rise, bleaching, strong storms, ocean acidification, and much more.

Reducing The Amount

of Ghost Nets
I have proposed a solution
that is cost, time, and effort
friendly for many people.
This solution os the start ot a
Figure 2: Coral reefs are being harmed due to the blockage of ghost nets. bigger problem, gradually
overtime we could see a
decrease in pounds of ghost
nets found. As you may go fishing or out boating, you hardly seen trash cans placed around these

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areas. These are areas known for high fishing and crabbing levels but does not give them the
proper places to discard of the material. Many people may find themselves with broken nets in
which they many do not want to keep so they wrongly discard of them not knowing the damage
that one singular net can do on marine life. I proposed the solution of placing more trash cans
and recycling bins around popular areas for fishing and boating. This will help to motivate
people to rightfully discard of their fishing gear. Ghost nets consist of all things such as fishing
line, crab traps, even the little things. Making sure we can reduce more of the small things being
discarded into the waters will overtime help the big overall problem. Placing them in convenient
spot is also a big factor in helping to reduce this number. Many other solutions may be very
expensive or too hard to advocate and get into action. For this solution, simply do some research,
buy trash cand and recycling bins, and set them out in the right spaces. Conducting research first
will allow you to budget out and see how much exactly you will need to spend to get the
supplies. It will also let you find the most popular fishing and boating areas. From then you can
determine how many bins and trash cans to buy to place out. Outside trash cans can range from
anywhere from $20 to $200. Starting with only 1 bin per fishing area is a start, it will still push
people to discard things in the right way if there is a trash can in sight.

Trash Cans Helping to Reduce Ghost Nets

Although the issue of ghost nets may need many different solutions to greatly decrease the
number, this is a start. When boaters, fisher, etc. come off the water from a long day they will not
be tempted to throw their old equipment out wrongfully if there is a nearby trash can. Giving
people the opportunity to rightfully change their actions is very important. “Bottles, cans, plastic
bags and Styrofoam containers and other trash wash in from storm drains and recreational
activities on the water and shoreline activities” (FWC,2022).. Trash is drifted out to large bodies
of water due to the current; there it will fuse with other entys or trash causing one big net.
Placing bins around in convenient places will reduce the amount of trash and ghost nets we see
in those areas

Getting Started Figure 3: Placing bins near fishing areas will

advocate for correct discard of fishing gear.

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This solution should be used because it is very affordable and time efficient. Placing trash cans
around in very populated fishing areas can take in between 30 minutes to an hour. There is
always ways to add onto this solution. For example, in Figure 3 the bin is labeled and gives a
little bit of information as to what ghost nets can do to our animal life. Education within the
community can be very important to help spread awareness
for certain situations. Therefore, this solution is a great start
to start reducing the large number of ghost nets present in
our seas today. “Adding commercial trash is one of many
easy ways to reduce litter in your space. Trash cans prevent
littering by offering a designated space for trash” (2017).
Studies show that placing trash cans around parks and other
areas helped to reduce litter, this will be the same for fishing
gear. Placing this bin will encourage people where to
correctly discard of materials.

Encouraging Rightful Actions

On the other hand, placing trash cans around will directly
help to reduce this problem. According to many studies,
litter is much higher in areas where there are no trash cans
present. There tends to be less litter when there are trash cans around that specific area. I believe
this same affect will take place in fishing area, boat docks, etc. If we are able to place trash cans
in a proximal range to where people gather at, we are bound to see a decrease in the amount of
ghost nets within that region. The more trash that we are able to keep out of the oceans is more
that we are keeping away from our marine life. Many of the small fishing areas are connected to
the ocean through channels and cannels. When low tide comes throughout certain areas it will
essentially pull the trash out into larger bodies of water, and this is where the bigger problem
starts. Many of our endangered species are dying or becoming very injured due to the large
amount of ghost nets present in todays waters. “In October last year, a pregnant minke whale was
found beached on the coast of Scotland with ghost netting knotted in its mouth” (Hadley, 2020).
This quote puts emphasis on the danger of ghost nets and what it can do to our marine life. We
know that whales are endangered species and should be protected at all cost.

Limitations to This Solution

Some of the limitation to this solution are wrongful acting people. As this solution is only in
place to open doors for people to recycle and discard of their material correctly, this is not
promised that everyone is going to use the bins. Many people will ignore the bins and continue to
discard their fishing gear in the wrong ways. This solution can be very risky as we are not certain
it will decrease the amount of ghost nets. Another limitation to this problem is the clean-up,

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people would have to go and change the bins daily. If the bins are not emptied, they could lead to
a bigger issue of ghost nets as materials may be blown back into the water.

Conclusion
The sea is composed of many different aspects, both good and bad for the sea. One of these
aspects includes ghost nets: nets that has been lost or abandoned in the ocean by fishers or
others. Ghost nets get in the ocean by reckless fishermen, crabbers, others who may throw
multiple nets and some of them get lost. These ghost nets can be very detrimental to animal and
sea life within the water. The nets could get trapped around an animal’s neck, a plants stem, and
much more. Although these nets may not seem like a big issue within the sea, they contribute to
a lot of bigger facts. Research done by the Olive Ridley Project states that ghost nets contribute
to the growing problem of ghost gear. Ghost gear is “all types of fishing gear, including nets,
lines, traps, pots and fish aggregating devices (FADs), that are no longer actively managed by
fishers or fisheries.” Be careless has had a big impact on the amount of ghost nets within our sea.
We can work on reducing the number of ghost nets within our sea through the use of recycling.
Placing more recycling bins, trash cans etc. will help lead fishermen into the right direction. An
article posted by Save Coastal Wildlife talks about the many different ways in which to reduce
the number of ghost nets. Some things included clean-ups, programs, and biodegradable
nets. Putting these ideas into action will ultimately reduce the large amount of ghost nets that we
see today.

Work Cited
Ashton, Michelle. “Https://Wildlifeflorida.org/13981-2/.” Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, 23 Feb. 2021,
wildlifeflorida.org/13981-2/?utm_source=google%20ads&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=fawff
%20general&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgK2qBhCHARIsAGACuzlVWLlT5UnXYiUcI7oi8PVvl4CgbmCF3U
_v57SdcqAk0NtkgEjX9qQaAqCLEALw_wcB. Accessed 9 Nov. 2023.

“Ghost Nets: The Silent Killers in Our Oceans.” 4ocean, www.4ocean.com/blogs/4ocean-101/ghost-nets-the-silent-

killers-in-our-oceans#:~:text=More%20than%20100%20million%20pounds. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.

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Hadley, Sophie. “Up to a Million Tons of Ghost Fishing Nets Enter the Oceans Each Year- Study.” Earth.org - Past |
Present | Future, 23 Nov. 2020, earth.org/up-to-a-million-tons-of-ghost-fishing-nets-enter-the-oceans-
each-year-study/.

Hancock, Lorin . “Our Oceans Are Haunted by Ghost Nets: Why That’s Scary and What We Can Do | Stories |
WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/stories/our-oceans-are-haunted-by-ghost-nets-why-
that-s-scary-and-what-we-can-do--25.

“Stash the Trash.” Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2022, myfwc.com/boating/stash-the-trash/.