Abandoned fishing gear is harmful and illegal. Often called “ghost fishing,” gear that is lost or abandoned can keep “fishing” long after it is left unattended in the water. Every year, tonnes of nets, lines, pots, and even dredges and anchors pile up on the bottom of lakes and seas or float haphazardly in European waters. This gear kills or injures fish, birds, amphibians and other animals, creates pollution in freshwater bodies and oceans, and damages active harvesters. The Directorate of Fisheries and the Norwegian Coast Guard have recently been given the authority to seize and dispose of such gear, when the gear’s owner cannot be identified, wherever it is found in Norway’s waters. Previously, any abandoned gear was taken by fisheries authorities or the coast guard to the police for possible ownership identification and disposal, tying up countless police hours and wasting government resources. The new regulations give the Fisheries Directorate and Coast Guard direct authority to do the necessary work in removing and destroying this illegal equipment that poses risks to humans and the environment.
“This simplifies the handling of illegal fishing gear and frees up resources at both the Directorate of Fisheries and the police,” stated Marianne Sivertsen Næss, Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans, in a press release announcing the action. “The amendment will also contribute to the cleanup of lost gear, reduce littering and ghost fishing, and ensure better utilization of society’s resources.” Until this change, the Fisheries Directorate and Coast Guard didn’t have the power to dispose of “ghost gear” – it had to be transferred to the police. And since the early 1980s, the Directorate of Fisheries has cleaned-up tonnes of such gear on annual cruises of the most important fishing grounds along the Norwegian coast. Since the start of this work, several thousand tonnes of fishing gear have been recovered. The lengthy disposal process is now considerably shorter with the new changes.