The Global Ghost Gear Initiative: A global cross-sectoral approach to tackling derelict fishing gear in seafood supply chains

Ingrid Giskes Global Head of Campaign Chair of Global Ghost Gear Initiative A global problem

In 2009, UNEP & FAO estimated that at least 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is abandoned, lost or discarded in our oceans every year – this figure is likely to be much higher today.

Being purposely designed to capture marine life, “ghost gear” is the most harmful form of marine debris.

An estimated 5-30% of global harvestable fish stocks (depending on fishery/geography) are killed by ghost gear every year, making ghost gear a major threat to global food security.

Ghost gear makes up 58% of all macro-plastics (larger than 5mm) in the oceans, or 70% of all floating macro-plastic debris, measured by weight. Causes of ghost gear

Direct Causes: - Adverse weather conditions or strong currents - resulting in gear loss or abandonment and making retrieval difficult or dangerous - Spatial pressures - resulting in gear conflict & resulting in vessel conflicts with gear - Malfunctioning of tracking systems - Snagging on submerged features or damage by marine organisms - Improper gear design or upkeep with repairs - Improper fishing methods - Intentional discard – link with IUU fishing

Indirect causes: - Lack of disposal facilities - Inaccessible disposal facilities - Expensive disposal facilities

A global solution

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) is a collective of NGOs, private sector, fishing industry, academia and governments, all contributing to tackle this problem on a global scale.

Through the collective impact of its members, the GGGI aims to address the issue of ghost gear in a holistic and circular way, focusing on:

• Reducing the amount of gear lost in the oceans; • Removing the gear that is already there; • Recycling the gear that is recovered or at end of life; • Rescuing animals caught in the gear. Driving change

GGGI was founded by World Animal Protection and launched in 2015

Mission: To ensure safer, cleaner oceans by driving economically viable and sustainable solutions to the problem of ghost fishing gear globally.

Aims: • To improve the health of marine ecosystems • To protect marine animals from harm • To safeguard human health and livelihoods GGGI governance structure

Project Review Board = GGGI Member = GGGI / Member Project = Government = BPF Consultation

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• 79 Unique Organizations • 12 Governments: Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, UK & Scotland, New Zealand, Tuvalu, Panama, Dominican Republic, Samoa, Tonga, Palau, Vanuatu. • 6 high level affiliates: UNEP, FAO, NOAA, CSIRO, EU DG MARE, PIDF Recent corporates joining GGGI Industry Engagement Need to continue to positively engage with fishing industry to:

• Raise awareness about the ghost gear issue

• Educate the industry on its global effects

• Learn from the industry about how and why gear gets lost

• Educate the public on the realities of gear loss (fishers are not villains in this story!)

• Develop innovative solutions to minimize gear loss and its impact if it does get lost

• Ensure solutions are viable, lasting and make sense for the industry Recent highlights

Raising our profile

Key seafood conferences – Seafood Expo Global (Brussels), Seafood Expo North America (Boston), SeaWeb Summit (Malta, Seattle, Barcelona).

UN Level to elevate the issue of ghost gear & the GGGI • Side events on World Ocean Day at the UN since 2015 with high level guests (Minister Lövin, PGA) • Side events during Preparatory Meeting and the Group of Friends of Oceans and Seas • UN Oceans Conference: Side event on first day with 130 + attendees and high level panel (President of Palau, PGA, Deputy PM of Belgium, etc.).

Engagement with multilaterals • Engagement with FAO on the global voluntary guidelines for the marking of fishing gear. • Input into the EU Commission Directive on Plastics – released yesterday. • Participation in UNEA expert group on marine litter. • Commonwealth summit April 2018 London.

Tangible outputs

Build Evidence Working Group • Construction of global data portal and companion app for reporting and tracking lost gear.

Best Practice Working Group • Development of Best Practice Framework for Management of Fishing Gear, including feedback from 50+ industry stakeholders.

Solutions Working Group • Focussed on scaling and replicating successful models for addressing ghost gear. • 8 new solutions projects underway around the world in 2017 and 12 in the pipeline for 2018.

Launch of the Data Portal & Gear Reporter App

Launch of the Data Portal & Gear Reporter App

Global solutions at scale

Gear marking in Indonesia

• Working with the FAO, the Dutch and Indonesian government to investigate how marking fishing gear can be used to address ghost gear & IUU fishing – focus on gillnet fisheries in 2 pilot sites. • Testing of tagging gear with FibreCode technology - could also support efforts to improve traceability in supply chains especially in a commercial setting. • Findings of the project supported the FAO Technical Consultation on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear (February) to be adopted at the next FAO Committee of Fisheries Meeting (July). • Second phase focused on scoping net marking at manufacture level & a pilot scheme for reporting lost gear and a gear recovery & recycling programme.

End of life gear recycling in Alaska

• GGGI project partners including World Animal Protection, Trident, NOAA , Plastix and Swan Nets have developed a project to recycle end-of- life fishing gear from Dutch Harbour, Alaska.

• Project will demonstrate the viable re-use of end- of-life gear as an economic commodity. This model is designed to be replicable and scalable, as well as being integrated into routine activities within the fishing industry.

• Project is due to be expanded to 4 additional sites in 2018.

Promoting best practice in the corporate supply chain

Best Practice Framework

Purpose and Objectives of the Framework:

1. The BPF is a framework for best practise in the use of fishing gear aimed at stakeholders across the life cycle e.g. from manufacture, through to use in fishing industry and end of life disposal.

2. It is also aimed at others involved in responsible seafood production and supply, including researchers, governments, seafood businesses and NGOs.

3. This framework draws together knowledge and experience, and is designed to engage and enthuse stakeholders in this critical issue.

4. Covers fishing gear, including FADs, but not aquaculture-related equipment (yet).

Best Practice Framework for Management of Fishing Gear (BPF) - Overview

• Part 1: Scoping and background • Overview of fishing gears and their global use • Risk assessment – likelihood of gear being lost and its impact when lost • Potential impacts and invention points • Prevention, mitigation and cure interventions

• Part 2: Best Practice Framework • Guidelines to fishing industry stakeholders – 10 in total • Best practice principles and actions Best Practice Framework

Consultation Methodology • Feedback solicited via two main methods: webinars and online survey. • 13 informative and interactive webinars held between April and September, 2017 with 38 unique participants from all sectors. • 64 unique respondents to the survey, offering feedback and assessing BPF’s strengths & weaknesses.

Consultation Summary • Global response, with all continents represented. • All seafood supply chain sectors represented (save for port operators) • 67% of respondents labelled ghost gear as moderately or highly significant to their specific operation as a marine sustainability issue. • 83% of respondents said the BPF would be somewhat likely to highly likely to influence their business practices. Best Practice Framework for Management of Fishing Gear (BPF) – management approaches

Best Practice Framework for Management of Fishing Gear (BPF) – gear risk assessment

Best Practice Framework

Suggested approaches for the sustainable management of FADs: • Bringing CSR and sourcing policies in line with FAO’s Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear coming into effect in July 2018 and the Best practice Framework which goes beyond marking. Successful implementation will require industry uptake. • Moving towards biodegradable and non-entangling FADs – explorative phase. • Exploring realistic and practical options for FAD retrieval programmes of lost or decommissioned FADs and to replicate efforts already undertaken (e.g. Seychelles) to avoid damage to nearshore habitats.

Tracking & marking of FADs in the South Pacific – an innovative cross-sectoral approach

FAD tracking South Pacific

• FADs are prolific in the South Pacific used by industrial tuna fleets and nearshore artisanal fishers. • Industrial fleets tend to use drifting FADs while artisanal fishers tend to use anchored FADs. • aFADs are broadly considered to be a positive thing for taking fishers off of the reefs & improving food security by aiding artisanal fishing effort. • Lessons learned in this geographic region can be applied globally. • FADs were identified by the GGGI as one of the three priority fishing gears to address. The others are gillnets and shellfish traps. FAD tracking South Pacific

Part 2. Working with Vanuatu Part 1. Assessing the FAD Fisheries Department & Pelagic management practices of Tri Data Systems to trial methods for Marine against the FAO’s Draft marking and tracking artisanal Guidelines on the Marking of AFADs and explore AFAD loss Fishing Gear & the GGGI Best and management methods to Practice Framework and tracking assist with loss-prevention and of FADs. recovery in the future. FAD tracking South Pacific – Part One

• Collaborate with Tri Marine to assess the company’s FAD management policies and practices against: • FAO Draft Guidelines for the marking of Fishing Gears • GGGI Best Practice Framework • ISSF Recommendations

• Tracking a small subset of satellite buoys • Identify drift patterns/lifespan • Identify nearshore areas potentially affected

• Report and recommendations developed collaboratively with Tri Marine were submitted confidentially to the FAO Technical Consultation on the Marking of Fishing Gears held in February in Rome • Results included favourable language in the final guidelines related to FADs • Committee on Fisheries (COFI) meeting will be held this summer, during which the Guidelines will be ratified. • Satellite buoys are continuing to be tracked through June, 2018 FAD tracking South Pacific – Part Two

• Provide practical case study on AFAD management from an artisanal fishery to inform: • FAO Draft Guidelines for the marking of Fishing Gears • Trial different methods for marking and tracking artisanal FADs • Establish a protocol for systematically monitoring AFADs that feeds into GGGI work on data and best practice • Pelagic Data Systems • Designed as a fisheries management monitoring tool • Durable and cannot be turned off • Tracks position • Works over cellular network • Much cheaper than satellite buoys • Use of the devices in this setting is very much experimental. • SatLink satellite buoy • Quality control for the PDS device • Echosounder data for VFD • Data forms for monitoring positions created. • Open to other recommendations of low- cost tracking technology we could deploy in this context.

FAD tracking South Pacific – Part Two Results

• Report and recommendations developed for FAO Technical Consultation on the Marking of Fishing Gear held in February in Rome • VFD personnel trained on SatLink and PDS interfaces • AFAD Positions monitored daily • Agreement with local partner (Ocean Blue fishing) that devices will be retrieved if they go astray • Fish aggregation data available to fisheries managers

The future

GGGI has had great success in 2017 and built substantial momentum moving to 2018.

Now is the time to continue to grow our collective impact to drive change resulting in cleaner oceans and healthier fish stock levels.

Upcoming events: - Panel at SeaWeb Summit, Barcelona, 18-21 June 2018 - GGGI Annual General Meeting in Bali 25-26 October 2018 preceding Our Ocean Conference.

Contact:

[email protected] +61 (0) 450 22 91 92