On the hunt for lost fishing gear

TGrappling hooks are lowered into the water from one of five fishing vessels used last fall to retrieve ghost gear from the waters around southwestern Nova Scotia as part of the Tackling Ghost Gear: Collaborative Remediation of Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Southwest Nova Scotia project.

he retrieval of lost fishing gear by Coastal Action is continuing this year as part of a project launched last year and those involved are seeking help in pinpointing locations to avoid 'searching for a needle in a haystack’ scenarios.

Initiated last year, the $432,000 project – called 'Tackling Ghost Gear: Collaborative Remediation of Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Southwest Nova Scotia' – will run until July 2022, and includes working collaboratively with industry, academia, and government to prevent, reduce, and assess impacts of ALDFG in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 33 and 34 on the South Shore and Southwestern Nova Scotia and in LFA 35 in the Bay of Fundy on the Nova Scotia side.

Implementation of a rope recycling system to initiate proper disposal for end-oflife gear is also part of the project. Project partners include the Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP), Coldwater Lobster Association, Brazil Rock Lobster Association, Dalhousie University and others.

“We have been working closely with the Brazil Rock Lobster Association and Coldwater Lobster Association who have been keen to collaborate on ghost gear solutions since before the project’s inception,” said Alexa Goodwin, project coordinator, via email.

“The participating captains and their communities have been receptive to our project and have been happy to provide insight and information where they can," she said. "Our project has shown strong industry engagement and stewardship and can attribute a large part of our success to their involvement, combined with the support of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada – specifically Resource Management and Small Craft Harbours, as well as Harbour Authorities.”

Last fall, Coastal Action worked with five different captains completing 60 at-sea retrieval trips, which netted seven tonnes of debris – 186 lobster traps and 500 kgs of rope were recovered from a search area of water that extended from Digby County, through to Lunenburg County, that included Yarmouth and Shelburne counties.

Three of the 189 lobster traps retrieved last year as part of the Tackling Ghost Gear: Collaborative Remediation of Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Southwest Nova Scotia project, look as though they have been on the bottom of the ocean for a while.

Location leads being

sought online to assist with ghost gear retrieval efforts

“We were anticipating finding more gear than we retrieved, however our efforts were still successful,” said Goodwin. “In the grand scheme of things, finding less gear than anticipated may be good news.”

A bycatch of 239 lobsters and seven groundfish species, including five species at risk, were found in the lost gear and released. A full report will be released later this spring online at the Coastal Action website.

This year the plan is to conduct 99 more retrieval trips. To assist with that Coastal Action has launched an online survey.

“The survey is intended to help amplify our reach and streamline how we collect information,” said Goodwin. “More specifically, the purpose of this survey is to gather location information about lost fishing gear in LFA 33, 34 and 35 to inform ghost gear retrieval efforts for summer 2021. Without a clear idea of where lost gear is, efforts are comparable to searching for a ‘needle in a haystack’.”

Goodwin said while Coastal Action has continually been receiving input from industry through word

A total bycatch of 239 lobsters was found in the ghost gear retrieved last fall as part of the Tackling Ghost Gear: Collaborative Remediation of Abandoned, Lost, and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Southwest Nova Scotia project. The lobsters were released. of mouth, with the survey they hope to gain "more insight from the local community, particularly captains, on areas of lost fishing gear to increase gear retrieval success, return gear to its owners, and reduce the impacts of ghost gear along Nova Scotia’s South Shore."

"Clear and accurate location information for lost gear is critically important in the success of ghost gear retrieval and the extent of the issue," Goodwin said. "More information allows stakeholders to better manage abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear, and conserve fisheries sustainability and the marine environment for future generations to come.”

All reusable tagged gear retrieved at-sea is intended to be returned to owners by DFO and harbour authorities. Untagged or unusable gear will be properly disposed of at local waste management facilities or repurposed if possible. The project is using a stewardship-led approach and seeks to foster education and awareness, rather than enforcement, reads the survey preamble. The survey takes about five minutes to complete.

As for the implementation of a rope recycling system to initiate proper disposal for end-of-life gear component of the project, Coastal Action has installed 11 collection bins at nine wharves in the region: in LFA 33, Lunenburg Railway Wharf, Gunning Cove and Port La Tour; LFA 34: Tiverton, Clark’s Harbour (two bins), Wedgeport, Lower East Pubnico (two bins); and LFA 35: Victoria Beach and Digby.

“Our project will be focusing our efforts on our existing bins,” said Goodwin.

“We are currently focusing on assessing the capacity of the program and ensuring smooth operation at existing locations.”

Goodwin said Coastal Action has created a flyer with information on the recycling pilot program, and a document with further information around responsible disposal of end-of-life gear. Both are available on their website – www.coastalaction. org – as is the survey and other information.

The project is being funded through the federal government’s $8.3 million Sustainable Fisheries Solutions and Retrieval Support Contribution Program (SFSRSCP).

Established in December 1993, Coastal Action is a charitable organization that addresses environmental concerns in the South Shore region. Based in Mahone Bay, Coastal Action's goal is to promote the restoration, enhancement, and conservation of the environment through research, education, and action.

“In the grand scheme of things, finding less gear than anticipated may be good news.”

Alexa Goodwin

Project coordinator