® 2020ANNUAL REPORT GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR THE GLOBAL GHOST GEAR INITIATIVE COMES FROM: 11TH HOUR RACING 4 FOREWORD THE ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATIONS 5 GHOST GEAR AS A GLOBAL ISSUE ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION (APEC) 10 KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020 BUMBLE BEE SEAFOODS 14 JOANNA TOOLE LEGACY LENTON PARKS 20 2020 MEMBERSHIP GOVERNMENT OF CANADA – DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES, OCEANS AND THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD (DFO) 22 U.S.A. AND MEXICO JOIN THE GGGI GOVERNMENT OF NORWAY GGGI PROJECTS ACHIEVEMENTS & GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM –DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, 26 FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (DEFRA) FUTURE WORK GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 30 WHERE WE WERE IN 2020 NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) 33 WORKING GROUP UPDATES HERIOTT WATT UNIVERSITY 38 GGGI MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS HOLLOMON PRICE FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION (IMO) 42 INDUSTRY LEADING THE WAY PLANETERRA FOUNDATION 47 ANNUAL MEETING SCHMIDT MARINE TECHNOLOGY 48 YEAR-END SURVEY SUMMARY UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (UN FAO) 52 LOOKING AHEAD WHITEHEAD FOUNDATION 55 END NOTES WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION 2 GGGI | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 3 build partnerships, and work toward a common the ocean may be attributed to ghost gear1. Ghost goal: to end ghost gear in our oceans. GHOST GEAR AS gear has been discovered in some of the deepest and most remote areas of the ocean, as well as in The situation is urgent, but there is reason to be A GLOBAL ISSUE many marine-protected areas around the world2. optimistic. Through collaborative organizations like FOREWORD the GGGI, we are seeing more sustainable fisheries, WATER IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE ON THIS PLANET. In the North Pacific Ocean, nearly 90 percent making huge strides in technology, and removing Whether in our ocean, lakes, rivers, or glaciers, of marine debris items intercepted by longline more and more ghost gear from our oceans. every living thing on the planet is dependent fisheries were ghost gear3. This year, a GGGI- OUR OCEANS, LAKES, AND RIVERS ARE CRITICAL Canada is proud to be a member of the GGGI, and on this single element for survival. And all of sponsored survey by the Myanmar Ocean Project THREADS IN THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND we will continue to work with our international these aquatic systems are under threat. Ocean in the Myeik Archipealago in Myanmar found ECONOMIC FABRIC OF OUR WORLD. But they are partner to eliminate ghost gear at home and acidification, climate change, melting polar ice, ghost gear at 95 percent of surveyed locations, facing serious challenges—from climate change around the world. and the pervasive presence of marine debris are with almost a third of those locations identified as and its detrimental impacts on our ecosystems, to having catastrophic effects on the blue planet we hotspots, showing evidence of multiple layers of the increasing loss of biodiversity, and the surge of call home. lost fishing nets harming local marine life4. In June plastic marine waste. While we strive to understand 2020, the United Nations Committee on Fisheries just how pervasive marine pollution is, we know In recent years, there has been increased attention (COFI) published an interim report from the Group that a major contributor is lost, abandoned, and on the threat of abandoned, lost, and discarded of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine discarded fishing gear, also known as ghost gear. fishing gear (ALDFG or “ghost gear”). Purposely Environmental Protection (GESAMP) Working Ghost gear is one of the deadliest forms of plastic designed to catch aquatic species, fishing gear – Group 43 on sea-based sources of marine litter, to debris. It can have devastating impacts on our when lost – can have devastating impacts on both be released at the 34th session of the Committee of marine animals, aquatic environments, and fish target and non-target species alike and can persist Fisheries Meeting (COFI) in 2021. stocks. in the environment for decades. It is estimated that as much as 70 percent of floating macroplastics in Our Government has recognized the threat that ghost gear poses in Canada and around the world, and we have rightly identified the issue as one of national importance. In addition to joining the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), we took strong action at home. In 2018, we expanded mandatory gear loss reporting and launched the Sustainable Fisheries Solutions and Retrieval Support Contribution Program (Ghost Gear Fund). This program is a unique stewardship-based approach that enables environmental and industry stakeholders to tackle ghost gear. Between 2020 and 2022, the Ghost Gear Fund is funding 26 projects in Canadian waters and abroad. In its first year, we removed over 63 tonnes of gear from our coastal Atlantic waters alone. The Honourable Ms. Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian 70% 90% We recognize that no fish harvester ever wants Coast Guard to lose their gear, which is why we must collaborate UP TO 70 PERCENT OF FLOATING IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN NEARLY with industry and work with gear producers to MACROPLASTICS IN THE OCEAN MAY BE 90 PERCENT OF MARINE DEBRIS ITEMS 5 understand the key causes of gear loss and identify ATTRIBUTED TO GHOST GEAR INTERCEPTED BY LONGLINE FISHERIES more sustainable designs and fishing practices WERE GHOST GEAR 3 going forward. It was with this in mind that Canada hosted a Gear Innovation Summit in 2020. We brought together hundreds of fish harvesters, environmentalists, scientists, and innovators – from Canada and abroad – to share knowledge, 4 GGGI | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 5 RESPONSIBLE GEAR to allow fishers to responsibly dispose of their gear. In May 2020, the Centre for Sustainable Design at SOLUTIONS the University for the Creative Arts in the United Kingdom (UK) released a report on circular The GGGI continued to engage on consultative business opportunities for end-of-life fishing processes for industry standards involving seafood gear, and, in the same month, the Convention for sustainability where ghost gear is related, including the Protection of the Marine Environment of the participating on the technical working group for North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) published its report on the Global Seafood Assurances’ (GSA) Responsible redesign recommendations for fishing gear in the Fishing Vessel Standard (RFVS). The RFVS is European Union (EU), which included calling for the only vessel-level certification program that is recyclability in gear design. In an article about available on a global scale, and the latest revision entrepreneurs making use of end-of-life fishing – released in June 2020 – now includes ghost gear gear as a raw material, the World Economic Forum prevention measures in the environmental impact highlighted several GGGI members, including DSM management section. We’ve also continued our Engineering Materials, Fourth Element, Ghost conversation with the Marine Stewardship Council Diving Foundation, Healthy Seas, and the Olive (MSC) to include ghost gear in their respective Ridley Project. Seafish’s magazine, Quay Issues, GHOST GEAR TAKES standard revisions to have preventive impact at featured an article on the costs and benefits THE GLOBAL STAGE scale. of recycling end-of-life fishing gear, and KIMO International also released a new report and a set of guidelines on best practices for use of net INCREASED FOCUS ON GHOST GEAR HAS The GGGI and its members are at the center of cuttings during at-sea net repairs on fishing vessels RESULTED IN ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE efforts advancing end-of-life solutions for fishing in the North Atlantic. WORLD DEDICATING RESOURCES TO STUDY THE gear and building effective recycling programs EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM AND COMMITTING TO FIND SOLUTIONS AT EVERY LEVEL. The GGGI is The GGGI has also become a strategic partner routinely referenced as an authority on the issue in the newly launched International Maritime and continues to be involved in policy discussions Organization (IMO)-FAO GloLitter Partnerships on ghost gear across industry fora, international Project, funded by the Government of Norway. The sustainability conferences/events, technical GGGI participated in a consultative process for a working groups, and United Nations (UN) bodies. report by the Government of British Columbia We’ve also seen increasing government support on assessing marine debris challenges in the on ghost gear, with the United States and Mexico Canadian province, which included ghost gear both joining the GGGI in 2020, and Canada’s ghost as a major concern, and on a policy intentions gear fund supporting impactful projects across the paper on Extended Producer Responsibility world. (EPR) programs, including one for ghost gear. The recently launched High Level Panel (HLP) for a The United Nations Environment Programme Sustainable Ocean Report, composed by the Ocean (UNEP) and Open Universiteit (OU) revised their Panel – made up of leaders from 14 countries – Massive Open Online Course on Marine Litter also pledged action on a range of sustainability in October 2020, recognizing the signiicant issues, including eliminating the discard of fishing contribution ghost gear makes to the broader gear. Combined, member countries of the Ocean marine debris issue and introducing a Panel make up 40 percent of the world’s coastlines, dedicated chapter to ghost gear. The United 30 percent of offshore exclusive economic zones, 20 Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN percent of the world’s fisheries, and 20 percent of FAO) also released its 2020 State of Fisheries and the world’s shipping fleet. Aquaculture (SOFIA) report, which mentions working with the GGGI in a new section titled “Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear and its pollution of the marine environment.” Photo by Shin Arunrugstichai 6 GGGI | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 7 As the only organization focused wholly on the problem of ghost gear and operating on an international scale, the GGGI's true strength is in the diversity of its members, who span all ocean sectors, from industry to governance to conservation.