Ghost fishing: An invisible killer of marine life -Rifat Hasnat

Just hearing the name doesn’t seem a little scary. It’s actually a bit like that. Imagine that a fisherman is not fishing, yet the fish are being hunted. So who is fishing? Since people aren’t fishing, ghosts must be fishing. According to folklore, ghosts are very fond of fish! Does it matter if the fish is fried or not? But are the fish trapped in different parts of the sea really hunting ghosts? Or people in the form of ghosts? It’s completely a bit of confusing term. Those fish are really trapped by a man-like ghost. Humans aren’t directly fishing there, but their actions have trapped the fish.

What is “ghost fishing”? Many times, people misplace fishing gear in various bodies of water, including the sea. Fishing gear can be any type of fishing equipment, such as a fishing line, a net, and so on. What happens when these fishing gears end up lost in the water? These fishing gears stay in the water for a long time. Sometimes they go to the bottom. From there, these tools catch fish, although no humans have control over the tools. We refer to this type of fishing as ghost fishing.

You may either lose or voluntarily discard these abandoned fishing gears. They prevent fish and other aquatic life from falling into any water body. Any type of box-shaped trap, spearhead, or net will do these ghost fishing jobs. In addition, various garbage or abandoned objects thrown into the sea can also block these aquatic animals.

Once stuck, there is no way out. The animal eventually perished due to a shortage of food. Because of this, about seven lakh aquatic animals die every year in the present world. Every year, millions of dead marine animals, including dolphins, whales, sharks, and seals, wash ashore, revealing large quantities of abandoned fishing gear in their stomachs instead of food, along with other garbage.

What kind of equipment do we use for fishing in the sea? We utilize a variety of nets, fishing rods, long metal wires, different types of traps, and various devices to pinpoint fish schools. We often throw away these things or lose them in various accidents, including natural calamities. We collectively refer to all these tools as abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Today, at least 10 percent of the garbage in the ocean is ALDFG. The amount of ALDFG in the seas has been rapidly increasing as commercial fishing has increased. There has also been an increase in synthetic tools, which are relatively long-lasting.

Every year, about 650 metric tones of this abandoned fishing equipment get into the sea. It may be derelict nets that cause the most damage to the marine environment. This is one of the causes of coral destruction. It also obstructs the normal flow of water in the ocean. Then there are different types of traps, much like cages. The design ensures that once a fish enters, it cannot escape. They are responsible for the disappearance of a large number of crabs from the sea. Along with the Barashi line. A line is composed of many bars. These reefs trap many dolphins, whales, and turtles every year.

In addition to various natural calamities, a lack of awareness often leads to their disappearance. Fishermen have nothing else to do if they fall into carelessness or get lost in a storm. Also, due to a lack of proper management, many people easily throw them directly into the sea for dumping. Many times, these metal wires or nets become entangled with rocks, corals, or other sunken vessels or discarded debris on the ocean floor. Unable to take them, the fishermen throw them away, and the gear is then hunted there alone.

Also, the number of fish that get trapped there is large, which affects the abundance of fish there. The fish die and rot there. There is an abundance of bacteria due to rotting. They then become hosts for a variety of waterborne disease pathogens and spread disease to nearby organisms. A year ago, a net was recovered from the North Pacific Ocean containing over a hundred dead seabirds, two sharks, and over two hundred different species of fish. Besides, dead whales, seals, turtles, and seahorses are often found in these abandoned nets.

Aside from that, many aquatic animals eat them without realizing it. These materials, made of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials, are not digestible. As a result, it causes wounds in the bodies of many animals. Additionally, it lodges in the throat and other organs, causing disruptions to normal growth. Ghost fishing is one of the reasons for the destruction of a huge amount of biodiversity in the ocean. Unbeknownst to people, many marine animals are disappearing due to man-made causes. They have harmful effects, not only from an environmental point of view but also from an economic point of view. The reduction in fish stocks has an impact on the fish market. As a result, losses are incurred by all parties.

These ghost gears are the biggest predators in the sea. It does a lot of damage, not only in numbers but also in time. Due to its high durability, it hunts alone in the sea for several years. So we should reduce it as fast as possible. Many international volunteer organizations have already started working to recover this lost equipment from the sea. They are succeeding in many cases due to the division of labor in different areas.

The question may come: is there any solution? Of course there is. For example-
Do not throw fishing gear directly into the sea. Awareness should be created among the fishermen so that they do not throw their waste gear into the sea. It should come ashore, be repaired, or be used for some other purpose. An organization in Scotland has already started this work. Additionally, make sure that no fishing equipment disappears into the sea. It can be beneficial in both natural and economic ways. Besides, we can remove the gears from the sea with the recently discovered remote-operated vehicle.

These fishing gears can be reused after being salvaged from the sea. A proposal was made: if any nets were no longer useful, they should be made into bags and used to remove other rubbish from the sea. But it will again require the help of fishermen. And since there are many holes and knots in the nets, it becomes a problem to use them for other purposes. As a result of the new plan, these tools will be taken ashore and completely machined so that they can be used for other purposes. For instance, the garment industry will receive the yarns back. Melting plastic to make other items. This is how we can reduce the rate of ghost phishing.

We are one of the culprits behind the destruction of our natural environment. We are also at the root of this ghost fishing. If we can stop it, we might be able to save many more species from extinction. Moreover, those who are very few will also increase in number.