Lost fishing gear, or so-called ‘ghost gear’ is one of the greatest killers in the oceans. Literally hundreds of kilometres of nets and lines get lost every year and due to the nature of the materials used to produce these types of gear, they can and will keep fishing for multiple decades, possibly even centuries.
Divers are all too familiar with this phenomenon, especially in well-fished areas. As founders of the Ghost Fishing Foundation we were confronted with ghost gear while diving the many wrecks in the Dutch North Sea. In 2009 we were part of a local team of divers who started to clean those wrecks. After some years of local efforts it was time to broaden the horizon and get in touch with like-minded groups all over the world. And so the Ghost Fishing Foundation was born.
The Ghost Fishing Foundation has been collaborating worldwide with various local groups of divers and salvage companies to remove lost fishing gear. With projects in Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Croatia, United Kingdom and the United States we work on existing projects, set up new ones and document these through visual media, informing a wide audience and raising social awareness. We exchange solutions and best practices by maintaining a steady stream of information through social media, and a website that offers extensive information and possibilities for interaction.
