As part of the marine conservation strategies, Pronatura Noroeste joins the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) alliance, with the objective of creating a common front to reduce ghost fishing gear generated in the ocean. Multiple marine species die when caught in abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), making it essential to address this problem for the health of marine ecosystems in Mexico and the world.
The proliferation of ghost fishing gear across the seas and oceans is a growing problem. It is exacerbated every time fishermen abandon, lose or discard their fishing gear, which float along with the tides, fatally trapping all marine species in their path. Species such as the Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), the California Tecolote (Myliobatis californica), the Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) and the Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), the most endangered marine mammal, are victims of ghost fishing gear in the Upper Gulf of California. In Mexico, the situation is serious and through GGGI, authorities hold the potential to leverage proper attention and address it.
This complicated scenario in the oceans motivated GGGI to create the North American Net Harvesting Initiative (NANCI), the first of its kind. It involves organizations from Canada, the United States and Mexico in an effort to address this challenge in a cross-border perspective. From knowledge development on the subject, the promotion of a guide of good practices for fishing gear management, to its removal and transformation to prevent it from altering other ecosystems.
In the first stage, Pronatura Noroeste participated with the diagnosis of ghost fishing, in coordination with the Pronatura System and other partners, as well as data previously generated in the Upper Gulf. All this valuable information was key to the design of the first predictive model and a map of ghost fishing gear hotspots in Mexican seas. Thanks to this model, it will be possible to have a first snapshot of the situation along the coasts of 17 Mexican states.
Among the many activities planned for 2023, the GGGI partnership will continue to refine the predictive model to strengthen the ghost fishing gear management strategy in Mexico. They will also organize workshops dedicated to fishermen, cooperatives, fishing industry, civil organizations and government institutions, where they will be provided with information on the impact of ghost fishing gear on marine ecosystems, as well as training with GGGI’s manual of best practices for gear management.
If you are interested in the conservation of marine ecosystems, join the mission with Pronatura Noroeste.
