A second call for proposals under the federal government’s Sustainable Fisheries Solutions and Retrieval Support Contribution Fund (Ghost Gear Fund) has attracted a total of 31 applications, including 13 proposals for work in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Eleven of the Gulf of St. Lawrence proposals focus on disposal and recycling of end-of-life fishing gear.
“The projects are currently being evaluated, and information on the successful projects will be made available in the coming weeks,” said Barre Campbell, Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard. “Projects are expected to begin in August and be completed by March 31, 2022.”
The second call for proposals under the Ghost Gear Fund supports three new priorities: the identification and removal of ghost gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and within the Fraser River in British Columbia and responsible disposal. Up to $2 million in funding will be provided under the second call for proposals.
As more ghost gear is removed from Canadian waters, greater capacity is needed to dispose of it responsibly but there are challenges with recycling fishing gear, said Campbell, including the mixed composition of materials used to produce fishing gear; bio-foul (micro-organisms, plants, algae) that accumulates on the gear, which is difficult to clean sufficiently; access to recycling programs in remote locations; risks to processing equipment from ropes and nets getting tangled, which can lead to expensive equipment repairs and cost.
“There have been technical advancements made for the recycling of end-of-life fishing gear in recent years and more work is underway. Companies around the world have developed methods of recycling used fishing gear made of nylon (PA), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) though the recyclability and market value of each of those materials differs,” said Campbell.
“For example, there is a chemical process in place to recycle nylon fishing nets into essentially virgin material, which can be used to make thread for high performance garments. Polyethylene and polypropylene gear can also be recycled, typically through a mechanical process involving shredding, palletization and extrusion into a variety of new products.”
The $8.3-million Ghost Gear Fund was launched in 2020 and currently supports 26 projects, including 13 on the East Coast under four program pillars: abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) retrieval; responsible disposal; uptake and piloting of technology to prevent gear loss and international leadership.
An additional $10 million has been allocated to the Ghost Gear Fund for the 2021–2022 fiscal year by the federal government.
“The majority of the funding will be used to boost capacity of many successful ghost gear projects already taking place across the country through the first call for proposals in 2020. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will also use some of the funding to collect information on how ghost gear is impacting Arctic communities. This information will help the Department identify areas for future ghost gear removal and recycling activities to help protect northern ecosystems and the livelihoods of those who depend on them,” states a media release from DFO.
A request for proposals will be launched at a future date to support new projects to be undertaken in the Arctic.
An online fishing gear reporting system developed under the Ghost Gear Fund was recently launched and makes it easier for commercial harvesters to report lost fishing gear. The new Fishing Gear Reporting System allows commercial harvesters to conveniently input a description of their lost gear, the cause of loss and its location from any online device.
“Not only will the Fishing Gear Reporting System make it easier for harvesters to be part of the solution, it will help them recover their valuable gear. This is good for industry and good for our environment,” said Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, during the system launch.
The Fishing Gear Reporting System was developed in collaboration with Work Dynamics and Webdrive to create an interface that would be easily navigated by commercial harvesters and contribute to a comprehensive database that will guide retrieval efforts and inform the Ghost Gear Program of the scope of the issue in Canada.
“The Fishing Gear Reporting System was developed under the Ghost Gear Fund and will provide Fisheries and Oceans Canada with more accurate and timely data on areas where gear-loss is most frequent, as well as the most common causes of gear loss. This information will help the Department to better target areas for ghost gear retrieval activities and find solutions to help prevent gear-loss in the future,” reads the media release.
So far, the Ghost Gear Program has retrieved a total of 224 tonnes of fishing gear and marine debris; 159 tonnes from the Atlantic and 65 tonnes from the Pacific coast. The Ghost Gear Fund has achieved more than 185 retrieval trips and retrieved more than 1,303 units of gear, including 27,000 feet of rope, creating more than 300 jobs that contribute towards Canada’s Blue Economy.
EAST COAST GHOST GEAR PROJECTS UNDERWAY
Coastal Action
Prevent, reduce and assess impacts of ALDFG on the South Shore of Nova Scotia (LFA 33, 34 and 35) through implementing waste management systems for responsible disposable of end-of-life gear, retrieving ALDFG from priority areas and conducting an impact assessment of ALDFG during retrieval.
Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association
The one-year project will focus on the removal of ALDFG in LFA 27. It will identify areas with problematic legacy gear and also identify areas where gear may have been lost during the previous fishing season, which will help mitigate future legacy gear from building up.
The Eastern Nova Scotia Marine Stewardship Society
Conduct a pilot of innovative Smart Buoy technology in the Maritimes region, demonstrating its applicability across different fisheries and industries. Three fixed gear wild-catch fisheries in the Maritimes have been identified as candidates for piloting the technology: lobster, snow crab and whelk.
Maliseet Nation Conservation Council
Focus on using SCUBA and surface-supply diving as an effective ghost-gear recovery method in the Bay of Fundy.
Fundy North Fishermen’s Association
Improve the opportunity and access to recycle and repurpose lobster traps in southwestern New Brunswick. Objectives include cataloguing what fishermen currently do with old lobster traps; inventory stockpiled gear; designate disposal locations; explore the potential/interest in developing capacity for recycling lobster traps; report on number of traps recycled and repurposed.
Cooperative des Capitaines Propriétaires de la Gaspésie (ACPG)
Contribute to the recovery and reduction of gear lost accidentally in the Gulf of St. Lawrence using a grappling system.
CSR GeoSurveys Ltd.
The LFA 32–33 and LFA 36–38 ALDFG Survey, Retrieval and Disposal Project, located in the Bay of Fundy and Eastern Passage has been chosen to support marine mammal risk mitigation by removing ghost gear from areas with significant whale populations. The project will be managed by CSR GeoSurveys Ltd. and supported through the partnership with Spear Fishing and Charter Ltd.
CSR GeoSurveys Ltd.
The LFA 26A ALDFG Survey, Retrieval and Disposal Project survey location(s) have been selected through careful examination of the Lost Gear Heat Map. The approach is to locate nearshore areas of high density losses where a very cost effective, trailerable 25-foot survey boat operation can locate and recover ALDFG.
Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-UNIFOR)
Incorporate Fisher Knowledge (FK) and emerging ALDFG-retrieval technologies to recover ALDFG, mitigate ghost fishing and the occurrence of ALDFG, and implement responsible disposal of fishing gear.
Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative
The project will engage local fish harvesters in locating, retrieving and disposing of ALDFG in the coastal waters adjacent to their communities, taking place in the coastal waters between Cape St. Francis and Cape Pine on the eastern shore of the Avalon Peninsula.
Regroupement des pêcheurs professionnels du sud de la Gaspésie
Reduce the environmental impact of the lobster fishery by offering fishermen a simple, easy and environmentally responsible way to dispose of their old lobster traps by setting up a program for the collection and responsible disposal of old, unusable lobster traps.
Les Cultures du Large Inc.
Restoring the natural state of two aquaculture sites off the Magdalen Islands that were used for scallop harvesting. These sites belonged to a company that is no longer in operation and have been abandoned, along with all the material they contain, for several years.
Merinov
Introduction to Recirculation (EPAPIR) project to implement a management and valorization circuit for snow crab traps and other recovered fishing gear. This initiative will ensure the sustainability of the recovery activities of ALDFG.
