Ghost gear
In 2021, the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance received funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Province of British Columbia to begin a program to clean up abandoned fishing gear in the Fraser system.
It is estimated that 600,000-800,000 metric tonnes of this “ghost gear” enters the ocean annually. The Fraser River has been identified as a priority area for this kind of debris removal.
Every year, project staff spent approximately 28 days out on the water surveying and retrieving ghost gear from the mouth of the Fraser River up to Hope, safely removing more than 1,300 pounds of nets, ropes, buoys, and corks.
Ghost gear, also known as “abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear” ALDFG, is most often found at the mouth of the river, along its shorelines, and stuck in water on woody debris. It can be dangerous to remove, so an ALDFG removal permit is required before any work can take place.
The permit process requires that the LFFA ghost gear team indicate all planned retrieval sites with exact coordinates, hail out before commencing a retrieval and adhere to requirements for the transportation and storage of the gear once it’s been retrieved. Final reports are logged with DFO through data collection forms or the Fishing Gear Reporting System.
If the gear is tagged in good condition, it can be reused or returned. Otherwise, it is dropped off at Ocean Legacy or the Steveston Harbour Authority for recycling.
The project is set to continue through 2025, this year with more youth engagement. Plans are in the works to invite young people from member Nations to learn about ghost gear, identify hotspots, and help with the cleaning and recycling process – all while having some fun on the LFFA boat, of course.
LFFA crew conducting a removal.