FEATURE | SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY And The Tackle Trade
GGGI INTERVIEW
36 www.tackletradeworld.com
TTW talks to fish21’s Director of Sustainable Angling, Stuart
McLanaghan about his recent visit to the Global Ghost Gear
Initiative’s Fift h AGM in Bali.
TTW: So Stuart,
what is so-called
‘ghost’ fi shing
gear and how
does it relate to
recreational fi shing?
Stuart
McLanaghan:
‘Ghost’ fi shing
gear is ‘abandoned, lost or otherwise
discarded fi shing gear’ (ALDFG) which
continues to catch fi sh and other
animals (for example, birds and turtles),
and damages the marine environment.
In 2009, a joint UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) /
Environment Programme survey
identifi ed the full range of impacts of
ALDFG: continued catching of target
/ non-target species (e.g. seabirds and
marine mammals); alterations and
damage to seabed ecosystems; beach
debris/litter; introduction of synthetic
material (e.g. nylon) into the marine
food web; and introduction of alien
species transported by ALDFG.
Globally, it is estimated that around
6.4 million tonnes of marine litter are
added to the oceans annually, of which
ALDFG conservatively accounts for
640,000 tonnes. As this estimate was
made almost a decade ago, the fi gure
may be considerably higher today.
Whilst the greatest source of this
material is undoubtedly commercial
fi shing operations, recreational fi shing
certainly plays its part. Given that
there are between 220 to 700 million
recreational fi shers (FAO / World
Bank, 2012), the associated impacts
from angling-related ‘ghost gear’
may be considerable, particularly in
geographical areas where angling
activity is high.
My presentation at the Global Ghost
Gear Initiative’s (GGGI) AGM in Bali was
the fi rst time the case had been made
to include recreational fi shing in both
the Initiative’s work programme and its
best practice guidance framework.
TTW: What is the Global Ghost Gear
Initiative and what is its relevance to
recreational angling?
SM: Launched in 2015, the GGGI
is the world’s fi rst and largest crosssectoral
alliance, committed to
driving best practice solutions to the
ALDFG problem. Its work programme
contributes to several UN Sustainable
Development Goals (or ‘Global Goals’),
including ‘Goal 14’ (‘life below water’.)
Much of GGGI’s strength lies in
the diversity of its participants,
including the commercial fi shing
industry, private sector, academia,
governments, intergovernmental and
non-governmental organisations. The
organisation is currently experiencing
rapid growth in membership; over the
last 12-months being joined by major
retailers including Marks and Spencer,
Tesco and Nestlé. The recent (social)
media attention given to single-use
plastics has unquestionably helped
accelerate interest in GGGI’s activities
and increase its membership. To date,
GGGI has two recreational fi shing
member organisations – both UK (fi sh21
and the Local Independent Sea Anglers
LISA.)
TTW: How do the GGGI’s activities
relate to the European Parliament’s
recent vote on single-use plastics?
SM: Rather confusingly perhaps, the
European Parliament and Council’s
proposed Directive on the ‘reduction of
the impact of certain plastic products
on the environment’, combines both
single-use plastic items and fi shing
gear containing plastic. In the case of
commercial fi shing - unlike disposable
plastic items such as drink straws and
beverage cups - equipment (e.g. nets,
ropes and pots) isn’t single-use by
design.
A senior offi cial in DG-Environment,
European Commission confi rmed to
fi sh21 that whilst a distinction between
commercial and recreational fi shing
hasn’t been made – in the underlying
Much of GGGI’s strength
lies in the diversity of its
participants, including the
commercial fi shing
industry, private sector,
academia, governments,
intergovernmental and nongovernmental
organisations
Stuart McLanaghan
/www.tackletradeworld.com
