A Ghostly Issue: Managing abandoned, lost and discarded lobster fishing gear in the Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada

• Published in: Ocean & coastal management 2019-11, Vol.181, p.104925, Article 104925
• Main Authors: Goodman, Alexa J., Brillant, Sean, Walker, Tony R., Bailey, Megan, Callaghan, Carolyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abandoned, lost, and discarded (ALD) fishing gear; Bay of Fundy (BoF); Ghost gear; Lobster fishers; Marine debris
• ISSN: 0964-5691; 1873-524X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104925

Abandoned, lost and discarded (ALD) fishing gear causes economic losses and hazards to safety at-sea for fishers and marine fauna. Thirty-two lobster fishers and 5 individuals from fisheries management agencies were interviewed from the Bay of Fundy (BoF), Eastern Canada to determine how to mitigate risk to marine fauna from ALD fishing gear. Results show that fishers across four lobster fishing areas within the BoF regularly lost gear; gear that was often not retrieved. Although fishers informally notified each other of gear losses and sometimes returned retrieved gear to owners, they avoided retrieving old and unidentifiable gear, because possession of this gear is prohibited under their license conditions. Interviews identified specific reporting, regulatory and community-based solutions to help estimate, manage and mitigate ALD fishing gear. Legalizing gear retrievals and establishing waste management systems is required to manage and mitigate ALD gear at-sea. [Display omitted] •Abandoned, lost and discarded (ALD) fishing gear contributes substantially to marine debris pollution.•ALD was examined using interviews in four lobster fishing areas in the Bay of Fundy, Eastern Canada.•Interviews with 32 fishers and five management agencies yielded qualitative data to help manage ALD lobster fishing gear.•Strategies to estimate amounts and mitigate ALD lobster fishing gear were found.