ghost net
Drifting ocean trap
A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost, abandoned, or discarded in the ocean, where it continues to trap and kill marine life indefinitely.
These nets drift with currents, entangling fish, sea turtles, dolphins, and seabirds in what conservationists call "ghost fishing." Made of synthetic materials that take centuries to degrade, ghost nets are considered one of the most harmful forms of ocean plastic pollution.
Divers removed a massive ghost net from the reef.
Mesh that snares by gills
- seineVertical hanging fish net
- monofilamentOne unbroken fiber
- nylonSynthetic textile polymer
- syntheticProduced artificially, not natural
fishing line · webbing · floats · weights · commercial fishing · illegal fishing · pelagic · deepwater
Abandoned or neglectful
- adriftFloating without control
- discardedGotten rid of
- lostUnable to navigate
- forgottenNo longer recalled
drifting · ownerless · jettisoned · unmarked · unattended · castoff · free-floating · untraceable
Unable to escape
- snaredCaught by concealed means
- entangledTwisted together inseparably
- strangledKilled by throat compression
- meshInterlocking open weave
tangle · ensnare · bind · capture · constriction · suffocation · drowning · immobilized
Non-target species caught accidentally
- sea turtlesOcean-dwelling shelled reptiles
- marine mammalsWarm-blooded ocean animals
- sealsAquatic whiskered mammals
- whalesMassive marine mammals
dolphins · seabirds · sharks · fish · coral reef damage · endangered species · mortality · starvation
Waste in sea environments
- plastic pollutionEnvironmental harm from synthetics
- microplasticsSub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
- flotsamDebris from wrecked vessels
- ecosystem damageHarm to natural communities
persistent · non-biodegradable · accumulation · gyre · seafloor · coastal · cleanup · removal
gillnet
Mesh that snares by gills
- seineVertical hanging fish net
- monofilamentOne unbroken fiber
- nylonSynthetic textile polymer
synthetic · fishing line · webbing · floats · weights · commercial fishing · illegal fishing · pelagic · deepwater
derelict
Abandoned or neglectful
forgotten · drifting · ownerless · jettisoned · unmarked · unattended · castoff · free-floating · untraceable · orphaned
trapped
Unable to escape
- snaredCaught by concealed means
- entangledTwisted together inseparably
- strangledKilled by throat compression
mesh · tangle · ensnare · bind · capture · constriction · suffocation · drowning · immobilized · wrapped
bycatch
Non-target species caught accidentally
- sea turtlesOcean-dwelling shelled reptiles
- marine mammalsWarm-blooded ocean animals
- sealsAquatic whiskered mammals
whales · dolphins · seabirds · sharks · fish · coral reef damage · endangered species · mortality · starvation · injury
marine debris
Waste in sea environments
- plastic pollutionEnvironmental harm from synthetics
- microplasticsSub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
- flotsamDebris from wrecked vessels
ecosystem damage · persistent · non-biodegradable · accumulation · gyre · seafloor · coastal · cleanup · removal · recovery
- netsgillnet, hairnet, fishnet, gillnets, seine
- sea turtlessea turtle, marine turtle, green sea turtle, green turtle, hawksbill
ghost netmarine sanctuary
Protected ocean habitat area
conservation zone · fish habitat · artificial reef · wildlife refuge · pristine waters
ghost, net, ghosts, ghostly, ghosted, ghosting, nets, netted, netting