Ghost fishing efficiency by lost, abandoned or discarded pots in snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery

Kristine Cerbule; Bent Herrmann; Eduardo Grimaldo; Jesse Brinkhof; Manu Sistiaga; Roger B Larsen; Zita Bak-Jensen

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115249

Ghost fishing efficiency by lost, abandoned or discarded pots in snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Aug:193:115249. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115249. Epub 2023 Jul 7.

Authors

Kristine Cerbule¹, Bent Herrmann², Eduardo Grimaldo³, Jesse Brinkhof³, Manu Sistiaga⁴, Roger B Larsen⁵, Zita Bak-Jensen⁶

Affiliations

¹ UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Fisheries Technology, SINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: kristine.cerbule@uit.no.
² UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Fisheries Technology, SINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, Norway; DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Hirtshals, Denmark.
³ UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Fisheries Technology, SINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, Norway.
⁴ UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.
⁵ UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁶ DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Hirtshals, Denmark.

PMID: 37423083
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115249

Abstract

Marine pollution by lost, abandoned or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) often has negative impact on the ecosystem through plastic pollution and continuous capture of marine animals, so-called "ghost fishing". ALDFG in pot fisheries is associated with high ghost fishing risk. The snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) pot fishery is conducted in harsh weather conditions increasing the risk of fishing gear loss. Due to plastic materials used in the pot construction, lost gear can most likely continue fishing for decades. This study presents a method to quantify ghost fishing efficiency relative to catch efficiency of actively fished pots. On average, the ghost fishing pots captured 8.29 % (confidence intervals: 4.33-13.73 %) target-sized snow crab compared to the actively fished pots, demonstrating that lost pots can continue fishing even when the bait is decayed. Given the large number of pots lost each year, the ghost fishing efficiency is a considerable challenge in this fishery.

Keywords: ALDGF; Barents Sea; Derelict pots; Marine pollution.

MeSH terms

Animals
Brachyura*
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Fisheries
Water Pollution