Ghost nets are fishing nets or lines that’s have been lost or abandoned in the ocean. Each year they are responsible for trapping and killing a significant number of marine animals. Indeed, just because a net is not longer used by fishers it does not mean it stops working. These nets continue to trap everything in their path, posing a serious threat to marine life. Ghost nets not only catch fish, but also entangle sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, birds, seals and more.

Once an animal swims into the nets, these keep the animals from moving freely, causing injuries, and keep marine mammals and birds from rising to the surface for air. Ghost nets are also a major contributor to the ocean plastic crisis as most of them made in recent years are made of nylon or other plastic compounds.