LITERATURE REVIEW OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS ABOUT THE ABANDONED LOST OR OTHERWISE DISCARDED FISHING GEAR

Abstract

Due to their design, material, and extensive use, abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) represents a risk to biodiversity and marine ecosystems. When fishermen lose total control of the fish, they have the potential to continue capturing species that are or are not targeting fisheries, performing “ghost fishing”. In Brazil, studies on ALDFG are scarce and do not focus on the main ones that cause the loss, abandonment, or disposal of these materials. In this context, this work aims to map actions, national and international, aimed at the collection, disposal, and reinsertion of this equipment in a new production chain, in addition to identifying the social actors involved. The examples found different ways of dealing with the issue, such as the United States and Canada that work mainly in financing programs and projects led by representatives of NGOs, civil society, and local governments, and Korea that focuses on collaboration with fishermen led by the federal government. All the projects found are voluntary and none of them seeks the responsibility of manufacturers, traders, or fishermen, which makes it difficult to internalize environmental externalities. The actions of the federal and state government were identified as the Plan to Combat Garbage at Sea and the State Plan for Solid Waste of the State of São Paulo, which contemplates the Blue Line Project, which aims to reinsert the ALDFG into the production chain and is the fruit partnership between local government, universities, and the community.