Ghost gear is any fishing equipment that has been abandoned, lost, or discarded in the ocean. This includes nets, lines, ropes, traps, pots, and floats. Once free-floating or resting on the seafloor, this gear doesn’t stop working. It continues trapping and killing marine life for years or even decades, earning it the name “ghost fishing.” At least 46% of the mass of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of fishing nets alone.
Why It’s Called Ghost Fishing
The term “ghost fishing” was first coined in 1985 to describe what happens when gear keeps catching animals with no one at the other end of the line. A lost net drifts through open water or settles on a reef, and fish, crabs, or turtles swim into it just as they would if it were actively being fished. Once trapped, those animals die. Their decomposing bodies attract scavengers, which then become trapped themselves. This creates a repeating cycle of capture and death that can continue for years.
Most modern fishing gear is made from synthetic, non-biodegradable plastics like nylon. These materials are designed to be tough and long-lasting, which is exactly what makes them so destructive once lost. A standard nylon net could persist in the ocean for centuries before breaking down. Even animals that manage to escape entanglement often suffer injuries that leave them vulnerable to infection, starvation, or predation.
Which Animals Are Most Affected
Ghost gear threatens a wide range of species, from small fish and crustaceans to whales, sea turtles, and seabirds. A major review of published research found over 5,400 individual animals from 40 different species recorded as entangled in ghost gear. Marine mammals accounted for 70% of all reported entanglements.
Humpback whales were the single most-affected species, with 670 entangled individuals documented, closely followed by North Atlantic right whales at 648. For whales and dolphins, monofilament fishing line and rope are the most common culprits. For seals and sea turtles, drifting ghost nets pose the greatest risk. Because entanglements in remote waters often go unobserved, these numbers almost certainly undercount the true toll.
How Gear Ends Up Lost
Fishing gear doesn’t usually get dumped on purpose. A global review of the causes found that the most common reasons are interactions with other fishing vessels and their gear, rough marine weather, and snagging on underwater features like rocky substrate or coral. Equipment malfunction and poor gear condition are also significant contributors. In busy fishing grounds, one vessel’s gear can snag on another’s, causing both sets to be lost. In some regions, previously lost gear on the seafloor tangles with active gear being deployed above it, creating a compounding problem.
The specific causes vary by region. In Pacific Canada, for example, surveys of 29 fishers found that snagging on rough seafloor was the most important factor, while in exposed waters like Hecate Strait, ocean conditions were the primary driver. Areas with heavy vessel traffic also see higher loss rates. Current regulations in many regions actually prevent fishers from retrieving someone else’s lost gear, which means equipment that could be recovered is left in the water.
The Scale of the Problem
Over three-quarters of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s mass comes from debris larger than 5 centimeters, and fishing nets make up the single largest category. Ghost gear is not a minor contributor to ocean plastic pollution. It is one of the dominant sources, particularly in offshore waters far from coastal population centers.
The economic damage is substantial too. An analysis by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science estimated that removing just 10% of derelict pots and traps from major crustacean fisheries worldwide could increase commercial landings by nearly 294,000 metric tons, worth roughly $831 million per year. Ghost gear doesn’t just kill marine life directly. It depletes the fish and shellfish populations that fishing communities depend on.
Cleanup and Prevention Efforts
The Global Ghost Gear Initiative, launched in 2015, is the largest international effort tackling this problem. It brings together governments, fishing industry groups, corporations, nonprofits, and researchers to remove existing ghost gear and prevent future losses. A central piece of their work is the Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear, which recommends practical steps across the entire supply chain, from manufacturers to port operators.
On the prevention side, several approaches are gaining traction. Marking fishing gear at the manufacturing stage would make it possible to trace lost equipment back to its source, creating accountability. Manufacturers could offer return programs so fishers have a convenient way to dispose of worn-out gear rather than letting it enter the ocean. Port facilities designed for gear recycling are another practical step.
Recovery operations focus on removing gear from ecologically sensitive areas like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and marine mammal habitat. Partnerships with local fishers are key to these efforts, since fishers know where gear accumulates and can help locate it. Recovered nets and lines are increasingly being recycled into new products rather than sent to landfill.
Biodegradable Gear as a Long-Term Fix
One of the most promising solutions is replacing conventional nylon with biodegradable alternatives. Researchers are testing materials that function like traditional gear during active use but break down far faster once lost. The difference in durability is dramatic: at cold ocean temperatures around 2°C, a biodegradable material would lose half its strength in roughly 10 to 20 years, while conventional nylon would take approximately 1,000 years to reach the same point. That’s up to a 100-fold difference in how long lost gear keeps killing.
These materials still need refinement before they can fully replace nylon across all gear types, but they represent a fundamental shift in approach. Rather than relying entirely on prevention and cleanup, biodegradable gear accepts that some loss is inevitable and builds a natural expiration date into the equipment itself.