Marulho, a social business based in Brazil, is leading the charge in the country against ghost gear while empowering coastal communities. Through education, creative reuse, and community storytelling, Marulho is turning marine waste into opportunity. They are protecting the ocean while strengthening coastal livelihoods. In 2025, funding from the GGGI small grants program helped to support Marulho’s collection of more than 18 tons of end-of-life fishing nets, which were repurposed into more than 13,000 products that could be sold to generate income for community members.  In addition to directly involving community members in environmental education, beach cleanups, and educational workshops, this work directly supported income generation activities for 27 families.

Aerial Recon and Recovery Initiative (ARRI), in collaboration with Khmer Ocean Life (KOL), led a community-based effort to tackle ghost gear in Cambodia’s Kamopot coastal region. The project strengthened local capacity in Cambodia to identify, map, and remove ALDFG, with a focus on building technical skills in aerial surveying using unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs), underwater retrieval, and community-led monitoring systems. Members of the Khmer Ocean Life team received theoretical and practical training in drone operation and ALDFG detection, which was complemented by further training to support ALDFG underwater recovery. Aerial surveys and ground-truthing efforts supported removal via community cleanup. ALDFG workshops supported education for 119 fishers from seven communities and established a cohort of “ALDFG Guardians” who collected more than 844 kilograms of fishing gear for recycling by a local partner.

Blue Victoria is a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to freshwater biodiversity conservation and the promotion of sustainable fisheries in the Lake Victoria Basin. With the support of the GGGI’s small grants program, Blue Victoria led a ghost gear cleanup operation in Lake Victoria’s Mwanza Gulf Key Biodiversity Area. The team worked alongside volunteers, Beach Management Units, and fisheries officers to remove more than 200 kilograms of ALDFG. This effort contributed to reducing ghost fishing pressures, restoring nearshore habitats and improving the ecological health of the Gulf. The organization also organized a multi-stakeholder workshop to raise awareness about ghost gear and sustainable fishing practices. The session strengthened local knowledge, built partnerships, and enhanced community-driven strategies to prevent gear loss and reduce ALDFG in Lake Victoria among fishers, fish traders, Ministry of Fisheries representatives, regional administrators, and local NGOs.