“…derelict fishing gear poses serious threats around the world, entrapping marine life, destroying coral reefs and other habitat, and even posing danger to humans.”
— U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
The Legislation - Tackling Derelict Fishing Gear
SB 898 (Simitian) focuses on derelict fishing gear prevention, identification and removal. This bill will identify guidelines and programs for removal and disposal of derelict fishing gear off the California coast. Also the bill will improve the current waste management system by marina and vessel operators.
SB 898 is sponsored by Heal the Bay.
The Problem
Derelict fishing gear includes nets, lines, crab and shrimp traps/pots, and other recreational and/or commercial harvest equipment that has been lost or abandoned in the marine environment
Derelict fishing gear can harm or kill marine wildlife and is also dangerous to people.
The California Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Pilot Project retrieved nearly 10 tons of derelict fishing gear, including 246 commercial lobster traps, during a 30-day removal project in 2006. There were 547 individual pieces of gear removed.
102 lobster traps were removed from around Santa Catalina Island in May 2006. 23 traps contained lobster.
A three-ton mass of derelict fishing gear was found in Kaneohe Bay, O‘ahu in 2004.
Alaska removed 90 tons of derelict gear in 2004. In a four day period, over 2 tons of derelict crab pots were collected in Port Gardner, WA.
Most fishing nets are made from synthetic fibers that take a long time to degrade and may never degrade. Commercial netting can take 30-40 years to decompose, and monofilament fishing line can take up to 600 years to decompose.
Marine Impacts
Lost or abandoned nets have been found to drift thousands of miles trapping and killing fish, turtles, seabirds, and other marine life.
Virtually all of the entanglement records compiled for 34 species of fish and 8 species of crab in a study by the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission show death caused by derelict fishing gear.
“Ghost fishing,” where marine animals are trapped in lost or abandoned nets and traps, is a lead cause of marine mammal deaths each year.
Sensitive marine habitats and ecosystems are threatened by lost or abandoned gear.
Virtually all Northern Gannet nests sampled in eastern Newfoundland have plastics incorporated into them. Specifically the most common debris in the nests were scraps of fishing net, rope, and line.
California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) experienced a four-fold increase in energetic demands when individuals were entangled in a 400 g piece of net.
Marine Impacts
Derelict fishing gear can entangle divers and swimmers.
Lost or abandoned gear can wrap around rudders, propellers, anchors, or drive shafts and significantly damage marine vessels causing thousands of dollars of damage.