Collaborative Remediation of Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Southwest Nova Scotia
This project is possible thanks to the financial support of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Sustainable Fisheries Solutions and Retrieval Support Contribution Program (SFSRSCP).
WHAT IS ALDFG?
Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), commonly referred to as “ghost gear”, makes up a large portion of all marine debris. It causes significant negative environmental, economic, and social impacts including habitat degradation, indiscriminate fishing and entanglements, decreased catches, at-sea safety hazards, and vessel damage. ALDFG is generated by unfavourable environmental conditions (like storms and bottom type), gear conflicts among fishers and other industries, poor gear condition, and inappropriate disposal at-sea. Losses can be accidental, fishers are not always at fault, as the marine environment is shared with other industries.
about the project
This project will work collaboratively with industry, academia, and government to prevent, reduce, and assess impacts of ALDFG on the South Shore of Nova Scotia (LFAs 33, 34, and 35 – Nova Scotia only) from July 2020 to March 2022. This will be accomplished through implementing waste management systems for responsible disposal of end-of-life gear, retrieving ALDFG from targeted areas, and conducting an impact assessment of ALDFG during retrieval, with ongoing communication campaigns throughout the project.
objectives & methods
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partnerscollaborators |
special thanks to:
For more information, please contact our Coastal & Marine Project Coordinator, Alexa Goodman, alexa@coastalaction.org.
retrieval resultsIn Fall 2020, Coastal Action and partners completed
the first year of at-sea retrieval. Click below to see what we found! |