SeaWeb Summit fuels conversation of collaboration for Sea Change
UK Campaigns Officer for Sea Change Christina Dixon explains the link between sustainability and our Sea Change campaign and why we should care
By working with the industry, NGOs scientists, politicians, divers and beach cleaners we can tackle this issue at a global scale and bring about real change for animals.
We were delighted to have the chance for frank and inspiring conversations at our ‘Nets Big Thing’ event at the SeaWeb Summit in Malta last week, speaking with a packed out room of global experts in seafood sustainability, marine science and gear technology about how innovation in fishing gear design, end of life net recycling and collaborative ghost gear removal projects can generate the change we want to see in the sector.
A recent study highlighted the economic impact of lost and discarded fishing gear on catch rates and the sustainability of fisheries. With links to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) and posing a major concern to the marine environment, it was time for us to put this issue on the table at the world’s biggest seafood sustainability conference.
To bring the problem to life, in advance of the event we worked with our friends from the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), Healthy Seas and Ghost Fishing, to organize a ghost gear removal project in Malta with support from a local technical diving center. The catch of the day was an array of lost long lines continuing to catch fish indiscriminately and nets snagged on wrecks posing a risk to wildlife and divers.
Our activities in Malta this week were just the beginning of a conversation about how collaboration can combat the problem of ghost fishing gear. By working with the industry, NGOs scientists, politicians, divers and beach cleaners we can tackle this issue at a global scale and bring about real change for animals.
It’s clear that for now ghost gear will remain on the table.
