«Ghost nets» are fishing nets that have been lost, discarded, or damaged, often after being torn off the seabed by storms or becoming accidentally lost by fishermen. These nets may still have fishing gear attached (such as floats, ropes, etc.). Although they no longer serve their purpose for humans, they continue to cause significant harm to the ocean, remaining dangerous to marine life. It is currently known that 354 species of marine animals, from seabirds to seals and whales, get entangled in marine debris (*Kühn et al., 2020). Once trapped in these nets, animals may drown immediately, unable to surface for air, or may carry these deadly traps for months or even years, often dragging them behind.

If you come across fishing gear (a piece of net or fishing tackle) on the shore, we ask that you report this encounter through the ghost net registration form in your account on the website or via the mobile app «Zachekin’ Kit and Co.» Why? Let us explain…

«Ghost» nets drift in the water, get washed up on the shore, and then return to the sea, continuing their journey and repeatedly polluting the seas and oceans. To prevent further contamination, it is crucial to clean the shores of these nets. International experience shows that when the government becomes involved in shore cleaning efforts, the results are much more significant and sustainable.

For over 25 years, large-scale marine debris cleanups have been taking place on the northwestern islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, including many fishing nets. From 1996 to 2022, 945 tons of marine debris were removed from the ocean. Analysis of data on entangled animals over 40 years has shown that in areas where cleaning was most intensive, the entanglement of rare monk seals decreased by 71%. This demonstrates that large-scale and ongoing removal of marine debris, including many abandoned, lost, or otherwise left fishing gear, brings significant benefits to marine ecosystems (*Baker et al., 2024).

However, it is important to understand that reducing plastic waste in the environment is more important than mitigating the damage through cleanup. This conclusion was also reached after studies on the Hawaiian Islands (*Baker et al., 2024), in Namibia (*Curtis, 2021), and Australia (*Page, 2004).

Nevertheless, to initiate systematic measures at the governmental level, it is necessary to show how widespread and serious this problem is. To do this, it is important to register every found net.

Therefore, if you encounter fishing gear (a piece of net or fishing tackle) on the shore, please send us the details of this encounter via the ghost net registration form in your account on the website or through the «Zachekin’ Kit and Co.» mobile app.

The data you collect will help prove that the issue of abandoned fishing gear is widespread: from the Baltic and White Seas to the Chukchi and Japanese Seas. These findings will become an important step in solving the problem at the legislative level. For solving this issue, it is crucial that the data is reliable and collected comprehensively: photos, date, location, size, and weight (if possible).