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Abandoned, Lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) comprises a significant part of global marine plastic pollution, with adverse consequences for fishers, the seafood industry, and marine wildlife and habitats. To effectively prevent and reduce ALDFG at source, an understanding of the major causes of and drivers behind fishing gear losses is required. We interviewed 451 fishers from seven countries around the world (Belize, Iceland, Indonesia, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, and the United States of America) representing five key fishing gear types (gillnets, purse seine nets, trawl nets, longlines, and pots and traps) about why and under what circumstances they lose their gear. We also asked them their views on the most effective interventions to reduce gear losses. Across all major gear types and countries where interviews were undertaken, bad weather was the most common cause of gear loss, followed by interactions with wildlife (identified as a cause for loss by 81% and 65% of all fishers interviewed, respectively). Snagging gear on a bottom obstruction was a major cause of loss for gears that contact the seafloor, along with conflicts with other fishers, often via gear and vessel interactions, for gillnet and pot and trap fishers. Operational and behavioral characteristics such as gear type, trip length, and the party responsible to pay for gear repairs and replacements all significantly influenced gear losses. Gear maintenance was the most effective gear loss prevention measure across all gear types and countries reported by fishers, followed by training crew in gear management (identified as an effective prevention measure by 95% and 82% of all fishers interviewed, respectively). Actions available to fishers, managers and port operators to effectively prevent fishing gear losses include: gear maintenance; reducing active gear interactions with wildlife; reducing financial and administrative burdens for port reception facilities; reducing trip lengths; and targeting education and gear stewardship programs to fishers with limited ALDFG awareness, particularly those in low income fisheries and countries.

This contribution presents a synthesis, via a semilogarithmic regression, of estimates of the slow increase of technological efficiency, or \"creep factor,\" as estimated by various authors for a number of demersal and pelagic fisheries. This factor is used in fisheries science to adjust for the gradual increase in the effectiveness of fishing gear resulting from the successive introduction of technological improvement to fishing gear and vessels. Altogether, 51 estimates of this creep factor, mostly around 2–4%/yr and covering periods from 4 to 129 yr, were assembled or newly calculated from secondary data and shown to decrease as the period covered increased. This finding is compatible with the hypothesis that creep factors are usually estimated and published to correct for the introduction of an effective new technology over a short period of time. We suggest that estimates obtained in this fashion cannot be applied to long-term analyses and propose instead our empirical relationship, derived from estimates of creep factor and the number of years covered in a study. Also, our study confirms that technology creep must be included in all analyses involving time series of fishing effort, particularly if they exceed one decade in temporal coverage.

Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gears (ALDFG) are major pollutants in water ecosystems, however, there is a serious lack of estimates on the loss of recreational fishing gears worldwide. To fill this gap, some recreationists like magnet fishers, who use neodymium magnets to retrieve metal items from water, can provide additional information. As they often remove ALDFG, we aimed to carry out the first social media analysis of their online content by searching ALDFG in their posts. During our work, we analyzed Hungarian magnet fishers’ posts, covering a total of 6 years from their initial activities on social media. In total, 2,889 posts were scanned of which 1,039 photos and 84 videos were analyzed. Magnet fishers caught 2,018 fishing gears while a total of 31 types of fishing gear were identified. Significant differences were found between flowing ( n  = 1,959, mean ± SD = 12.89 ± 16.51) and standing waters ( n  = 889, mean ± SD = 24.69 ± 31.39) in the numbers of fishing gears. Based on the results, we can conclude that ALDFG is a common freshwater pollutant in the country, and social media activities of magnet fishers can be used in detecting freshwater ALDFG containing metal.

Biogenic reefs are known worldwide to play a key role in benthic ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at every level, from shallow to deeper waters. Unfortunately, several stressors threaten these vulnerable systems. The widespread presence of marine litter represents one of these. The harmful effects of marine litter on several organisms are known so far. However, only in the last decade, there was increasingly scientific and public attention on the impacts on reef organisms and habitats caused by litter accumulating on the seafloor. This review aims to synthesize literature and discuss the state of current knowledge on the interactions between marine litter and reef organisms in a strongly polluted basin, the Mediterranean Sea. The multiple impacts (e.g., entanglement, ghost-fishing, coverage, etc.) of litter on reef systems, the list of species impacted, and the main litter categories were identified, and a map of the knowledge available so far on this topic was provided. Seventy-eight taxa resulted impacted by marine litter on Mediterranean reefs, and the majority belonged to the phylum Cnidaria (41%), including endangered species like the red coral (Corallium rubrum) and the madrepora coral (Madrepora oculata). Entanglement, caused mainly by abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), was the most frequent impact, playing a detrimental effect mainly on coralligenous arborescent species and cold-water corals (CWCs). The information was spatially heterogeneous, with some areas almost uncovered by scientific studies (e.g., the Aegean-Levantine Sea and the Southern Mediterranean Sea). Although many legal and policy frameworks have been established to tackle this issue (e.g., Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Barcelona Convention), several gaps still exist concerning the assessment of the impact of marine litter on marine organisms, and in particular on reefs. There is a need for harmonized and standardized monitoring protocols for the collection of quantitative data to assess the impact of litter on reefs and animal forests. At the same time, urgent management measures limiting, for instance, the impact of ALDFG and other marine litter are needed to preserve these valuable and vulnerable marine ecosystems.

Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a problem that is increasingly of concern to global fisheries resources and the aquatic environment. Nearly 2% of all fishing gear used in marine fisheries is lost to the ocean annually. This has negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystem, which includes but not limited to ghostfishing mortality to commercial, recreational and protected species, degradation of benthic habitat, and change to the ecosystem. Fishing gear left in the sea can drift ashore affecting recreational use of beaches and shorelines and poses hazards to navigation. Most of the research on ALDFG has been in the marine fisheries of the developed world with very few studies in the inland fisheries, mostly in the developing world of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This paper reviews and synthesizes literature about the status of ALDFG in inland fisheries globally. Only 16 studies, between 1970 to 2023, that referenced ALDFG causes, levels, impacts, and preventive measures were found. Thus, this review highlights that ALDFG in inland fisheries remains a highly understudied area of aquatic plastic pollution. Further studies are recommended to fully understand its status, extent, and potential environmental impacts.

The environmental problem of abandoned fishing gear (e.g., ghost nets) exists on a world scale. It impacts marine biodiversity for decades after the nets has become lost in the ocean. In Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean), ghost nets are found almost everywhere around the island, threatening marine life and human activities, such as scuba diving, fishing and navigation. To achieve meaningful outcomes for biodiversity conservation and the management of an offshore site that is particularly affected by ghost nets, the Jubilee Shoals, this issue is addressed in this study with an evidence-based approach. Pre-removal surveys were necessary to assess the nets and produce the environmental, ecological and structural data for the calculation of the Gear Removal Index (GRI). The results of a revised version of the index (GRI+) that includes species of conservation interest and invasive species were cross-checked in the field by divers with experience in marine ecology and similar removals. About 3 km of nets in total were successfully removed. The implementation of the GRI+ was an important proof-of-concept for environmental managers, aiding them to decide whether it would be necessary (or not) to perform removals and highlighting the index as a useful tool for the protection and management of Cyprus’ marine habitats.

Small-scale coastal fisheries in the Mediterranean often employ gillnets, a widely used gear worldwide. The disadvantages of gillnets in this fishery include high bycatch levels of unwanted species and consequent discards. Moreover, spatial conflict with other gears and dolphin depredation often results in considerable economic loss. Alternative fishing methods are being tested. This study investigated whether, in small-scale fisheries in the Adriatic Sea, pots can ensure sustainable harvest of mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis), a major target demersal species in terms of landings, and possibly replace traditional gillnets. We adopted a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the catch efficiency, biological impact, and socio-economic effects of the two fishing methods. We found different species compositions in gillnet and pot catches. Gillnets yielded a greater number of discarded species of no commercial value, whereas pots caught a greater amount of mantis shrimp. Finally, a profit analysis indicated that pot fishery has the potential to increase profits for the commercial fishing industry. This study suggests that pots provide a more sustainable fishing method, both in terms of revenue and environmental impact.

Abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) presents a significant and complex challenge which can result in severe deleterious impacts to habitats, marine wildlife, and fishing and coastal communities the world over. Small island states like the countries of the Eastern Caribbean are highly vulnerable to a range of external stressors, therefore it is essential to gain an understanding of the threat posed by all forms of marine debris including ALDFG to the sub-region. To gain an understanding of the drivers, scale and impact of the threat associated with small-scale fisheries of the Eastern Caribbean, interviews with 49 fish trap and line fishers as well as 14 divers in Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica were conducted. Interviews were completed over the course of two months (July – August 2022) at landing sites around all three islands. Fish traps continue to be a major contributor to ALDFG in the study area, with an estimated 2, 273 traps and 2, 567 being lost on Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica respectively, based on the most recent estimates of the fishing fleet. Severe weather and snagging of benthic obstructions have emerged as the most significant contributors to fish trap loss in both countries while towing of fishing lines was the most frequently identified cause in the countries’ line fisheries. Observed variabilities in drivers of loss between both countries may be attributed to a number of factors including diversities in the fishing sectors, differences in local practices and heterogeneity in the biogeography of the marine environment. Further, evidence shows that the challenge of ALDFG within the Eastern Caribbean context, goes beyond local drivers of loss and may be influenced by transboundary inputs from both within and outside the region. Divers reported encountering not only ALDFG originating from within the two countries but some forms of ALDFG that may have drifted into the area from neighbouring islands (MFAD components) or further afield (polypropylene netting). Managing this challenge effectively will require not only fisheries specific interventions but the cooperation and collaboration of pool of stakeholders both nationally and beyond.

Hard coral coverage contributes to increasing the structural complexity of coral reefs, provides biological resources and drives biological and ecological interactions among reef organisms. Declines in the structural complexity and coral diversity of tropical reefs, due to the influence of anthropogenic activities, have been reported around the world in recent decades; however, coral reefs on the continental coast of Ecuador have been poorly studied. From September 2017 to April 2018, the method of permanent belt transects and quadrats was used to assess the status of coral (percentage of live, dead and fractured coral) to determine the contribution of derelict fishing gear to the process of coral fracture, which causes loss of structural complexity on two marginal coral-rocky reefs in the central coast of Manabi-Ecuador: Perpetuo Socorro and Ureles. Three geomorphological zones [crest (5–7 m depth), slope (7–10 m depth) and bottom (10–13 m depth)] were assessed. Results show that the crest zone in Ureles reef was highly affected by the entanglement of nets compared with Perpetuo Socorro, and identify derelict fishing gear as a key driver in the process of the fracturing and fragmentation of coral. Seasonal and site-associated factors also had a significant effect on the structural complexity of the reef studied. Destruction of coral in the crest zones drastically affects invertebrate and fish communities. We recommend a periodical assessment to measure the loss of structural complexity plus the implementation of a recovery program for the reefs studied that involves the education, active participation and collaboration of artisanal fishermen, governmental organizations and universities.

North Atlantic right whales frequently become entangled in fishing gear, which can negatively affect their reproductive output and probability of survival. We estimated individual whale health from a hierarchical Bayesian model fit to photographic indices of health. We reviewed 696 whales sighted from 1980 to 2011 and assigned 1196 entanglement events to 573 individuals in six categories of increasing injury severity and estimated monthly median health scores (0–100 scale) for the duration of their life within the study period. We then quantified the relationship between entanglement injury events and their severity with survival, reproduction, and population health. Severe entanglements resulted in worse health for all whales—males and females with severe injuries were eight times more likely to die than males with minor injuries. Females with severe injuries that survived had the lowest birth rates. Though the relationship between entanglement and fecundity was complex, we found that as the health of reproductively active females declined, their calving intervals increased. Unimpacted whale health scores declined significantly over three decades, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, suggesting food limitations may be contributing to population‐wide health declines. Decadal health scores of entangled whales showed a more notable reduction in health suggesting a clear and perhaps synergistic effect.