Sophie Atkinson, October 2022
Fishing gears represent some of the most dangerous forms of plastic pollution. Ghost fishing; when fishing gear continues to fish even after it is no longer in commercial use, caused largely by synthetic netting used in dFAD designs, has previously been estimated to globally kill over two million silky sharks per year. In 2015, a study suggested that over 120,000 dFADs were being deployed annually, with the authors regarding that number to likely be an underestimate. Of this 120,000, very few are estimated to be recovered.
The use of biodegradable and natural materials to create dFADs would reduce their impact on marine ecosystems, and have been shown to be just as effective as their synthetic counterparts.
To find out more about biodegradable dFADs and the future of FAD fishing, you can read Beatrice’s full report here
