Coalition launches survey to gain perspectives on end-of-life fishing gear

By Katie Hartai

The Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada is looking for input on how to deal with fishing gear that is no longer useable.

According to the coalition, nearly 250,000 lobster traps and more than 1,000 tonnes of fishing rope are replaced annually in Nova Scotia.

Environmental specialist with the FGCAC, Rachel Kendall, says this reinforces the need for long-term solutions. 

“It is both gear that is being retrieved by people working hard to clean up this stuff, but also just the gear fishermen use and need to dispose of when they have finished using it for the purpose of fishing,” she says. “We generally need to recycle or dispose of it in some way.”

At this time, there isn't a uniform system in place to sustainability manage end-of-life fishing gear in eastern Canada, but the FGCAC is hoping to change that. 

The group has launched an online survey in hopes of hearing various perspectives on what should be done with old fishing gear.

“We want to engage everyone, especially those in the industry like retailers and fishers, to come together, participate and find solutions that are accessible for everyone to benefit from and utilize,” she says. 

This project is supported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ghost Gear Fund and Divert NS.

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