Ghost fishing is a modern issue of today. The reason I decided to talk about it in my blog is that I wanted to learn more about it, as on the DY120 research cruise in October, we had one oceanographic mooring that had a massive tuna longline attached to it. Ghost fishing is when derelict fishing gear 'continues to fish. Climate change is aggravated by impacts from overfishing, pollution, and habitat degradation...all of which ghost fishing plays a part. As the oceanographic mooring was rolled in over the back of the Discovery a massive longline was found to be attached to it. Read here for what a deep-sea mooring is! It is not able to go through the block to winch it onboard, so each section needed to be cut off with a knife. This added at least 1.5 hours to the operation, we had a tight schedule this year with timing and weather so delays were pretty stressful. So what is ghost fishing? https://www.ghostfishing.co.uk/ explain ghost fishing as, ...
This Blog started in Antarctica where I was a Marine Scientist for 18 months. Since then, it has followed my progression into a Professional Marine Scientist, Diver and Skipper. Now I am a Freelance Marine Scientist, and director of my own company and offer my services of diving, skippering, deckhand and Open Water swim coaching. When not working I enjoy going on remote adventures mountain biking, climbing and freediving. Read here for my random stories of adventure and science!