AgroScience Today, Volume 4, Issue 5 : 0590-0593
POPULAR ARTICLES

OPEN ACCESS | Published on : 31-May-2023

Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gears (ALDFG): Hidden Killers in the Sea

  • Sandhya K M
  • Senior Scientist, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India.
  • Saly N Thomas
  • Former Principal Scientist, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, India.

Abstract

Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gears are fishing gears/parts which are lost into water due to various reasons. These lost gears are a global concern to the marine ecosystem as they continue to capturing fishes and other aquatic organisms leading to their mortality known as Ghost fishing. Ghost fishing mostly occurs due to passive gears such as gillnets, trammel nets, lines and traps. As most of the fishing nets are made of synthetic, non- biodegradable materials, nets can remain active in water for several years and continue fishing even when they are lost into seas. From Indian waters also investigation were carried out by ICAR-CIFT regarding fishing gear losses and ALDFG. Those studies points towards the importance of the issue in the country as well as the need for developing mitigation measures to address the harmful impacts of ALDFG.

Keywords

Abandoned, Lost, Fishing Gears, ALDFG, Hidden Killers, Sea

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