ECOLOGICAL IMPACT

Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) remains on the seabed for decades without decomposing. Ghost nets drift relentlessly with underwater currents, indiscriminately trapping and killing fish, crustaceans, sea turtles, and marine mammals in an endless, unmonitored cycle of destruction that severely depletes fishery stocks.

Heavy sunken debris, discarded traps, and industrial structures blanket coral reefs, seaweeds, and delicate benthic habitats. By physically suffocating the seabed, this waste blocks sunlight, impedes dissolved oxygen exchange, and triggers anaerobic sediment decay, causing irreversible degradation to essential spawning and nursery grounds.

Submerged plastics subject to hydrostatic pressure and hydrodynamic friction slowly fragment into microscopic and nanoscopic particles. These particles absorb hazardous persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and are ingested by benthic organisms, bioaccumulating across the entire trophic marine food web and eventually threatening human health.