AnimalsNews

‘Ghost Gear’ Is Destroying Marine Wildlife

1 Mins read

Many people know the dangers that plastic straws pose to marine life … but there’s a lesser-known danger called “ghost gear” that’s an even greater killer.

Check out this video of a poor sea turtle being rescued from this crisis…

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⚠️WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES⚠️ Swipe over to watch both videos of this poor sea turtle being rescued after getting caught in plastic netting and ropes because this is a MAJOR crisis happening right now that’s killing too many animals! While plastic straws are known to kill countless marine life, there’s an even greater killer of our precious marine life as commercial fishing fleets lose and abandon more than 700,000 tons of plastic nets, lines, ropes and traps, which accounts for an estimated 10-15% percent of the waste in the oceans and seas, roughly 4x that of plastic straws! Known as “ghost gear,” this lesser known waste has entangled and killed millions of marine animals, including sharks, dolphins, seals and turtles…and it’s only getting worse every year. This kind of waste lasts for hundreds of years, killing many animals, not just one or two, slowly degrading into smaller fragments and becoming part of the food chain, which is sadly just another way it harms our marine life, and us too, when we consume seafood that has been contaminated as more and more seafood is becoming. We MUST stop this NOW and spreading awareness about this urgent crisis to EVERYONE is the first step so please share this post with your followers and tag people, celebrities and news media that needs to see it so we can work together to stop killing our precious marine life! Good job saving this turtle @gerardb9 #endplasticpollution #savetheturtles #plasticsucks #karmagawa #saveouroceans #savethereef

A post shared by SaveTheReef (@savethereef) on

Ghost gear is lost, discarded, or abandoned fishing gear — and it’s a deadly threat to marine life.

Commercial fishing fleets lose and abandon more than 700,000 tons of plastic nets, lines, ropes, and traps — which accounts for an estimated 10-15% of the waste in the oceans and seas … roughly 4 times that of plastic straws!

Over 136,000 whales, dolphins, seals, and turtles are caught in ghost gear every year and up to 30% of the decline in some fish stocks can be attributed to ghost gear.

Ghost gear in our oceans is getting worse every year and can take up to 600 years for the material to break down.

What’s even worse is that it can break down to smaller fragments and become part of the food chain — not only harming animals but also humans who consume seafood.

We must help stop this NOW … and the first step is to make sure everyone is aware that this is happening.

Companies won’t act unless they are held accountable by the public.

Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates and make sure to share our information with your loved ones.

And be sure to show them this powerful video…

The director/producer of “50 Minutes to Save the World,” Amir Zakeri, created a masterclass for us to help Karmagawa and SaveTheReef followers learn how to tell world-changing stories through video — and you can grab the presale deal now for 50% off the regular price.  

Proceeds go to great causes, so investing in yourself with this course is a win-win. Get started now

What do you think about fishing companies losing or abandoning fishing gear in our oceans? Leave a comment below.

(Cover image: nevodka/Shutterstock)

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