Lost at sea: The hidden cost of ghost gear

Lost at sea: The hidden cost of ghost gear

By Valérie DEKIMPE | Pierre LEMARINIER | Elise DUFFAU | Marina BERTSCH

Source: france24

2/24/2023

Valérie DEKIMPE | Pierre LEMARINIER | Elise DUFFAU | Marina BERTSCH

Credit: Sandrine Ruitton

If you think fishing nets are made of natural rope, think again — they're made of plastic. Every year, some 80,000 km² of nets are lost and abandoned at sea. As they drift aimlessly, these so-called "ghost nets" litter the ocean floor and trap nearly everything in their path. We take a closer look in this Edition of Down to Earth.

Robot to the rescue

The problem of "ghost nets" is widespread in the south of France, where scientists and divers often come to the rescue in order to remove fishing gear that's been abandoned. French association 'Les Ressources Sous-marines' is one of them. The small company has built a robot that can scour the sea floor in search of nets and retrieve them.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
4301	Fishing film nets documentary prize	BBC News	2011-10-12	UK
4302	Manhattan man charged after dropping detergent in fish tank, killing fish and coral	ksnt	2021-03-10	US
4303	New Mexico teen catches possibly record breaking fish, releases it before getting official weight	Fox News	2021-03-07	US
4304	No fish tale: Missouri angler catches huge invasive black carp	fox2now	2021-03-09	US
4305	Norway's salmon rot as China takes revenge for dissident's Nobel Prize	independent	2011-10-23	UK
4306	Research Finds Fish Behavior May Seal Their Fate	underwatertimes	2011-10-04	CA
4307	The World's Largest Floating Fish Factory	gizmodo	2011-10-03	US
4308	Pros Carr, Bradley Qualify For Bassmaster WS National Championship	underwatertimes	2011-10-02	CA
4309	Mystery of Canada's missing salmon continues	nature	2011-09-28	CA
4310	Illusion Of Plenty' Masking Fish Population Collapse Off California Coast	Underwatertimes	2011-09-27	US
4311	Wind Whips Angler Teddy Carr At Oneida Lake	Underwatertimes	2011-09-24	US
4312	Study Finds Aquarium Fishes Are More Aggressive In Reduced Environments	underwatertimes	2011-09-23	US
4313	Small Fish Recover Faster Than Large Fish	Underwatertimes	2011-09-21	US
4314	The Science Behind the Fishy Smell in Smelly Fish	miaminewtimes	2011-09-20	CA
4315	Anglers Bradley, Carr Land Enough Fish To Qualify For Regional Bassmaster Event	underwatertimes	2011-09-19	US
4316	Bay of Fundy farmed salmon found in rivers	CBC News	2011-09-16	CA
4317	Fish shrinkage probed in lab	BBC News	2011-09-18	NO
4318	Salmon And Other Fish Predators Rely On No Guts, No Glory Survival Tactic	underwatertimes	2011-09-15	US
4319	Climate change boon to UK seafood	BBC News	2011-09-15	UK
4320	World's largest fishing lure, at 355 pounds, is a real whopper	petethomasoutdoors	2011-09-13	US
4321	Ancient Toothy Fish Found in Arctic—Giant Prowled Rivers	National Geographic News	2011-09-12	US
4322	The World's Worst Place To Catch Fish	Underwatertimes	2011-09-07	US
4323	Colossal Aggregations Of Giant Alien Freshwater Fish As A Potential Biogeochemical Hotspot	Underwatertimes	2011-10-06	GE
4324	Iceland joins alliance to tackle ‘ghost’ fishing gear abandoned at sea	thegrocer	2021-03-10	UK
4325	Dozens change name to salmon	Taipei Times	2021-03-18	TW

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