As any fisherman will tell you, the ocean is a challenging place to work. In this dynamic environment, fishing gear is inevitably lost due to storms, strong currents, and interactions with other boats. If it isn’t recovered, lost gear can have a negative impact on the environment and even lead to marine life entanglements. Luckily, the fishing industry is taking an active role in recovering lost gear to protect the future of fisheries and marine life. 

In recent years, reports of whales entangled in fishing gear off the California coast have increased dramatically. Many factors have likely contributed to this increase, including growing whale populations, climate-related changes in whale distributions, and increased public awareness and entanglement reporting. Unfortunately, when whales and turtles become entangled in active or lost fishing gear, they can be injured or even die. The state has implemented dynamic management measures to reduce entanglement risk, but delayed openings and early closures of California’s commercial Dungeness crab season have led to economic hardships for fishermen and coastal communities. OPC has made numerous investments to reduce the risk of marine life entanglement in fishing gear while ensuring thriving fisheries by supporting emergency entanglement response, investing in cutting-edge research and monitoring, and piloting new, experimental “ropeless” gear that is safer for whales.   

Building on these successes, in 2024, OPC funded the Nature Conservancy and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) to expand an industry-led collaboration of California Dungeness crab fishermen to retrieve lost fishing gear. Organized efforts in Half Moon Bay and San Francisco have already removed thousands of traps over the last 10 years, but new support from OPC has allowed the Fishermen’s Gear Recovery Network to expand statewide this year. As part of the expansion, the Network has developed an online reporting form for ocean users, which will help them to locate and recover more gear than ever before. The Network trains and employs Port Coordinators to orchestrate lost gear recovery across the state; through this partnership-based model, fishermen or other “eyes on the water” report lost gear using an online form, commercial fishermen are paid to recover lost gear, and Port Coordinators across the state process lost gear and sell it back to its owner at low cost. This collaboration is empowering fishermen to take an active role in ocean stewardship and thereby ensure vibrant fisheries and healthy ecosystems. The program started in the California Dungeness crab fishery, but the Network is working with fishing associations to expand their gear recovery efforts to other fisheries.  

Expanding the Network and increasing engagement with ocean users are vital next steps to enable fishermen to clean up lost gear and reduce entanglement risk. OPC will continue to collaborate with and support fishing communities to ensure thriving fisheries and resilient ecosystems.  

You can learn more about the Network by visiting their website or subscribing to their newsletter.  

Photos: Commercial fishermen recover Dungeness crab gear / Lisa Damrosch, PCFFA