The Impact of Ghost Fishing Gear on Marine Life

Ghost Fishing Gear

Ghost fishing gear refers to any fishing equipment or fishing-related litter that has been abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded. It has a negative impact on marine life. Seals, dolphins, turtles, and whales can all get tangled in the nets.

ghost net baskets
Ghost net baskets – Photo courtesy of John Tyrer

Lundy: A Marine Conservation Zone

The spectacular marine life and underwater scenery on Lundy, are well protected through a number of designations. In 1986, the voluntary Marine Nature Reserve became Britain’s first statutory Marine Nature Reserve and in 2010 the area was designated as the UK’s first Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ). This MCZ focuses on spiny lobsters and overlaps
with the Special Area of Conservation (designated in 2010) that protects the island’s reefs, sea caves and sandbanks along with the island’s population of around 200 breeding grey seals. Together these designations form Lundy’s Marine Protected Area.

Conscious Crafting

The products I make seek to create awareness of the danger of discarded fishing gear. The vessels serve a purpose as a basket, the aim is to create an ecological statement. This taps into ‘people’s emotions and values’, as supported by Geoff Tansey in Neal, L., (2016). Playing for Time: Making Art as if the World Mattered. Bloomsbury Publishing.

ghost net baskets
Ghost Net Basket
Wall hanging from ghost net gear
Ghost Net Basket

Most of the vessels created serve a purpose as a basket. But, the aim is to create an ecological statement. This statement taps into ‘people’s emotions and values’, as supported by Geoff Tansey in Neal, L., (2016).

References: Neal, L., (2016). Playing for Time: Making Art as if the World Mattered. Bloomsbury Publishing.


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