ghost nets
Lost ocean traps
Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been lost, abandoned, or discarded in the ocean, where they continue 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." The problem has grown with the spread of synthetic materials that don't biodegrade: Divers removed a ghost net wrapped around the coral reef.
Unable to escape
- entangledTwisted together inseparably
- snaggedCaught or obtained
- ensnaredCaught by trickery
- strangledKilled by throat compression
suffocated · drowned · bycatch · dolphins · sea turtles · seals · whales · sharks
Abandoned or neglectful
- discardedGotten rid of
- lostUnable to navigate
- adriftFloating without control
- driftingMoving without purpose
forgotten · jettisoned · unattended · orphaned · castoff · ownerless · unmarked · untraceable
Mesh that snares by gills
- driftnetFloating fish-catching mesh
- monofilamentOne unbroken fiber
- nylonSynthetic textile polymer
- meshInterlocking open weave
netting · synthetic fiber · rope · buoys · floats · weights · sinkers · commercial fishing
Waste in sea environments
- ocean pollutionHarmful substances in seawater
- plastic wasteDiscarded polymer materials
- microplasticsSub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
- toxicCapable of causing harm
ecosystem damage · biodiversity loss · decomposition · fragmentation · persistent · accumulation · gyre · cleanup
trapped
Unable to escape
strangled · suffocated · drowned · bycatch · dolphins · sea turtles · seals · whales · sharks · seabirds
derelict
Abandoned or neglectful
drifting · forgotten · jettisoned · unattended · orphaned · castoff · ownerless · unmarked · untraceable · free-floating
gillnet
Mesh that snares by gills
- driftnetFloating fish-catching mesh
- monofilamentOne unbroken fiber
- nylonSynthetic textile polymer
mesh · netting · synthetic fiber · rope · buoys · floats · weights · sinkers · commercial fishing · industrial fishing
marine debris
Waste in sea environments
- ocean pollutionHarmful substances in seawater
- plastic wasteDiscarded polymer materials
- microplasticsSub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
toxic · ecosystem damage · biodiversity loss · decomposition · fragmentation · persistent · accumulation · gyre · cleanup · removal
- ocean pollutionoil spills, plastic pollution, marine debris, plastic waste, toxic waste
- Arctic Pollutionoil spills, microplastics, chemical spills, industrial waste, plastic waste
- fishing harmoverfishing, bycatch, stock collapse, bottom trawling, shark finning
- fishing harmsoverfishing, bycatch, stock collapse, entanglement, fish kills
- ocean threatscoral bleaching, overfishing, acidification, oil spills, plastic waste
- overfishingfish stocks, population collapse, catch limits, fishing quotas, bycatch