Dear Subscriber First Name,

We are excited to share our updates in the last newsletter of 2025! The GGGI team has been on the ground in Mexico and California supporting removals and participating in meetings. Virtually, the GGGI and several members participated in the OceanLitter Programme Training and Workshop hosted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and will co-host a webinar with Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) that is currently open for registration. We hosted Episode 14 of our Let’s Talk Ghost Gear webinar series, which is available to view on YouTube. We would also like to share our anniversary communications pieces, recent ghost gear news articles, member highlights, and some information about our Small Grants program.

The GGGI loves celebrating the successes of its members! As always, if you have any ALDFG related news that you would like to share in the next newsletter, please email caitie@ghostgear.org.

The North American Net Collection Initiative (NANCI) is the GGGI’s first-ever transboundary initiative to prevent ghost gear in the coastal waters of the western United States, Mexico, and Canada. This initiative began in 2021 and is supported by the Government of Mexico, various local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, and the Builder’s Initiative. The GGGI recently published a new video highlighting the importance of NANCI and its successes over the last four years, including predictive models developed with community knowledge, highlights from removals, technology trials, and new policies.

Lobster Traps Recovered in the Mexican Pacific

Every year in Baja California, thousands of lobsters are not harvested because they get caught in traps that are lost due to strong currents. For this reason, the Punta Abreojos Cooperative and the GGGI are working together to recover lost fishing gear to ensure food security while protecting the marine environment. During October and November 2025, divers from the Punta Abreojos Cooperative identified critical areas and recovered traps with lobsters. They also found traps that they chose to leave on the seabed, as they were colonized and formed part of the reef. The local ecosystem consists mainly of rocky reefs, sand, macroalgae such as Eisenia, known locally as cauliflower, colorful fish (e.g. garibaldis) and invertebrates. Learn more in this short video.

Ghost Nets Removed from Sunken Ship

The GGGI, COBI, and Sirenas de San Blas collaborated to remove ghost nets from a sunken ship and reefs in San Blas, a municipality in Nayarit based on the Gulf of California, Mexico. This removal overlapped with the IV Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Festival led by CEDO. A special boat with observers from the Mexican Government, CONANP-SEMARNAT, and NGOs, (such as ICCF and CEDO), allowed the officials to view the removals and their immediate impact in real time, which will help raise awareness of the problem of abandoned nets and generate public policies to combat it.

In September GGGI joined the NGO Tuna Forum, and on October 7th and 8th, we participated for the first time in the annual Forum meeting in Monterey, California. We were thrilled for the opportunity to unite with like-minded NGOs, including GGGI members MSC, ISSF, WWF and others, to identify overlapping interests, and align on seafood sustainability issues that enhance the impact of our seafood industry members' efforts.

In August 2025 the GGGI became a Strategic Partner with the OceanLitter Programme, which is implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This program enables developing countries and the global community to prevent and reduce marine plastic pollution from sea-based sources, including abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear. GGGI participated virtually in IMO’s Global Task Force Training & Workshop “From Commitment to Action on Marine Plastic Litter from Sea-Based Sources” hosted at IMO headquarters in London, England, from November 12 to 14. Moderated by GGGI’s Expert Advisory Council (EAC) Member, Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, this training and workshop session aimed to enhance the capacity of over 30 Member States, strategic partners, donors, and the private sector by sharing the latest research, technologies, and policy approaches to address marine plastic litter from sea-based sources. GGGI’s Program Manager, Jaclyn McGarry, and Global Policy Lead, Hannah Pragnell-Raasch, were among the participants attending virtually. In celebrating the role of women, research and technologies, in tackling marine plastic litter from the shipping and fisheries sectors, Jaclyn honored the legacy of GGGI’s Cofounder, Joanna Toole, by presenting on how the GGGI keeps her memory alive through our small grants program, and our Joanna Toole Internship.

Key governance instruments were also highlighted to demonstrate the opportunities for Member States in strengthening ratification and implementation of legal policy and actions, including that of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex V on the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships. The GGGI is actively engaged through this mechanism and supports Member States on specific provisions for managing ALDFG, including mandatory gear-marking and lost gear reporting. Many GGGI members, governments and project partners participated in the 3-day workshop, including Natural Resources Consultants, the Ocean Legacy Foundation, and Jamaica’s Fisheries Authority (who presented on their work trialing RESQUNIT buoys in collaboration with the GGGI), in addition to EAC members Joan Drinkwin, Dr. Kelsey Richardson. and Dr. Paritosh C Desphande.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), a longstanding GGGI partner, is hosting a webinar on December 9, 2025 titled “Engaging Local Communities to Prevent, Reduce and Retrieve Ghost Gear in North America”. This webinar will reflect on the project “Addressing Ghost Gear in North America”, a joint effort between CEC and GGGI that began in December, 2022. GGGI’s Project Coordinator - Latin America, Claudia Cecilia Oliman, and GGGI member Natural Resources Consultants will present and participate in a question and answer session. The webinar will be delivered in English and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation for English, French, and Spanish speakers.

Register here.

The GGGI turned 10 years old in September, and to celebrate the anniversary we have been working on some special content! First, Ocean Conservancy published this blog post written by GGGI’s Program Manager Jaclyn McGarry, outlining ten different animals impacted by ALDFG. Next, we are posting quotes from our GGGI members about what the GGGI and membership mean to them on our X and LinkedIn channels. Additionally, we have created a timeline to illustrate the highlights of GGGI history. Stay tuned for more communications as the year progresses!

We are thrilled to announce that applications for the 2026 Small Grants Program opened on October 15, 2025! Designed to support GGGI members, this exclusive opportunity offers grants of up to $40,000 USD to fund innovative projects aimed at preventing and removing abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear from marine ecosystems. Past grantees have made significant strides in reducing ghost gear's harmful impacts on marine ecosystems, and we're excited to see more groundbreaking solutions emerge, driving us to a healthier, more sustainable ocean worldwide. Applications close on December 5, 2025.

GGGI Membership Specialist Caitie Frenkel, hosted Episode 14 of Let’s Talk Ghost Gear on “ALDFG Impacts on Marine Life”. This episode featured short presentations from four GGGI members who specialize in marine animal conservation and welfare. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion, where presenters answered questions from a live audience and had an open discussion on the topic. This episode’s panelists included:

• Kirsten Gilardi – Co-Director, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine & Vice-Chair, Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (USA)

• Sue Sayer – Independent Seal Researcher & Chair, Seal Research Trust (UK)

• Susan Frett - Programs Director, Pacific Whale Foundation (USA)

• Pine Eisfeld-Pierantonio - Marine Pollution Coordinator, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (UK)

Click here to view the webinar

Smithsonian Magazine

The Smithsonian Magazine published an article titled ‘’Ghost Gear’, or Abandoned Fishing Equipment, Is Haunting the Oceans. Here’s How Conservationists Are Fighting Back’ on October 31, 2025. The article highlights how various groups from around the world (e.g. conservationists, fishers, scientists) are working to learn more about and ameliorate the issue of ALDFG in their respective locales. For example, dive removals conducted by the Sirenas de Oriente and Conservation International - Mexico were highlighted to show how local women who work in commercial fisheries are combatting the issue in Mexico. The article also highlighted recent research published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering that created a Ghost Gear Removal Index to help environmental managers evaluate if ALDFG should be removed from an environment. GGGI Associate Director Joel Baziuk, was also interviewed to provide global context to the article and emphasize the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration to combat issues of ALDFG worldwide.

Bangkok Post

The Bangkok Post highlighted work by GGGI member Aerial Recon and Recovery Initiative (ARRI) conducted in Thailand in their article “Restoring Paradise” published on November 4, 2025. With the support of GGGI member Thai Union Group, ARRI will use drones to survey 12 square kilometers of ocean around Koh Phangan, Thailand to assist in removing over 3.2 tonnes of marine debris (including ALDFG) from this biodiverse area. ARRI will work with End-to-Cycle (E2C), a local volunteer network, to transform the non-recyclable fishing nets and other marine debris into eco-friendly building blocks. This story illustrates how multi-sectoral collaboration can effect change on a local level.

Panama, a longstanding GGGI government member, continues to strengthen their ghost-net mitigation strategies with ARAP’s (Autoridad De Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá) implementation of new ALDFG collection points and the launch of their “Canje Azul” program for end-of-life fishing gear (EOLFG). In October, ARAP General Administrator Eduardo Carrasquilla and Deputy Administer Gerardo Irimia officially launched the second Ghost Net Container on Taboga Island, enabling fishers to safely and responsibly deposit their EOLFG and ALDFG to protect marine ecosystems. ARAP also launched their “Canje Azul” Program whereby fishers can return their unused and end-of-life fishing gear in exchange for food. These latest initiatives compliment ARAP’s ongoing commitment to manage ALDFG, including their regular ALDFG retrievals, all of which have resulted in diverting 1.88 tons of ALDFG from the environment in 2025.

To learn more, check out this video on Instagram

Four Caribbean Countries Sign the CRFM Agreement

On October 7, Anguilla, The Bahamas, Dominica, and Montserrat - signed on to the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), formalizing their relationship in the 22-year-old institution. CRFM aims to efficiently manage and sustainability develop marine and aquatic resources within its 17 Member States (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands). The GGGI has been collaborating with CRFM since 2018, most recently conducting two virtual ALDFG workshops for the region.

Healthy Seas Collaboration to Remove Abandoned Fish Farm from Saronic Gulf

In November, GGGI member Healthy Seas conducted a large joint clean-up operation of an abandoned fish farm in the Saronic Gulf in collaboration with the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation. Over 40 tons of marine litter were recovered during this event, including 2.5 tons of fishing nets and 30.8 tons of plastic cages. All materials combined were enough to fill 12 industrial containers. Healthy Seas will work with other partners to sort and recycle the materials where possible, including sending the fishing nets to Aquafil to be made into ECONYL yarn. After the derelict fish farm was removed, Healthy Seas and the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation organized a spontaneous clean-up of a nearby beach, removing 16 large bags of waste that included fishing debris. This work was supported by Hyundai Motor Europe and in partnership with other organizations including Aquafil, Diopas, Ozon, the European Outdoor Education Hub, Odyssey Outdoor Activities, DOTANK Plus, and GGGI member Ghost Diving. For more information, check out the press release and this video.

Welcome To Our New GGGI Members!

The GGGI membership continues to grow! Please welcome our newest member, OCEAN Action Network!