Fishing4Ghosts

PROJECT OVERVIEW

In the scope of Fishing4Ghosts stylish, high-quality products are hand-made out of the old fishing gear (in this initial phase we produce bracelets, keychains, and (sun-) glass straps). The materials are collected in different harbors in the Algarve, Portugal as well as during regular coastal clean-ups in the area. The collection is used to sensitize the fishermen as well as the participants of the clean-ups for the issue. Hereby it is important to point out that nobody is getting judged because there is no finger-pointing involved. Fishing4Ghosts is solely focused on solutions through community and stakeholder involvement in a motivational, positive way. We believe that empowerment is much more effective and powerful than judgment. Overall the project aims towards a zero-waste policy and all the steps are carefully thought through. For example, the cleaning process is conducted with organic, biodegradable washing powder, using a device that prevents micro-fibers to enter the wastewater. The packaging is (if not avoidable) out of 100% recycled materials and used to inform about the problem of ghost gear in our ocean. The more the project grows, the more jobs will be created on a local level where jobs are really needed. It is part of the vision of Fishing4Ghosts to also create jobs for socially deprived people. Nevertheless, the products themselves have the potential to contribute to raising awareness and therefore carry a message from the ocean. We hope that they serve as an initiator for discussion and people who wear the bracelet or keychains start spreading the message as well.

10% of the profit will be donated. 5% is used to incentivize the fishermen to deliver their old gear at the collection points and 5% is donated to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), an NGO which is doing great work in the field on an international level. Fishing4Ghosts has already established vital cooperations with the „Mar Sem Lixo“ project, which is run by the Portuguese government through the harbor authority Doca Pesca and aims to reduce litter related to fisheries. Moreover, Fishing4Ghosts is part of the „Culatra 2030“ project, a sustainability-focused project on the fishermen-island Culatra which is one collection point of Fishing4Ghosts. FOUNDER

I’m Christina, 34 years old, and am starting the project „Fishing4Ghosts“. From an early age onwards, I have always had a strong desire to contribute to environmental conservation. After my bachelor's in Geography, I’ve worked in various jobs in different countries in the field of natural sciences, diving, and wildlife watching, often with a focus on conservation and research. In the past 5 years, I settled in the south of Portugal (Algarve) and finally did my Masters in Marine Science. MOTIVATION

In my free time I organized and participated in countless beach- and coastal clean-ups in the Algarve. I realized that old fishing gear is a major source of pollution in this area. Often 70-80% of the plastic litter we find along the coastline is related to fisheries (ropes, nets, styrofoam boxes, seafood traps). Ghost gear is, by far, the deadliest form of marine litter, and an increasingly pervasive problem. Ghost gear is four times more likely to impact on marine life, through entanglement, than all other forms of marine litter combined. Every year more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals, and turtles get caught in abandoned or lost fishing nets (ghost nets), lines and traps. Moreover, there is an increasing consensus that ghost gear is directly responsible for a 10 percent decline in fish stock levels globally. Made of durable material, ghost gear can take up to 600 years to break down. On my search for possible solutions, I decided to write my master thesis about „The opportunity of a circular economy around old fishing gear in Portugal“. The thesis helped me to understand the (inter-) national context of this worldwide pressuring issue. While conducting interviews with the fishermen and many other key stakeholders (harbor authorities, net-producers, aquaculture- authorities, NGO’s, politicians, etc.) I explored the topic on a deeper level and got more and more certainty about how big the need for change and solutions on different levels is (e.g. (inter-) national regulations, technology, materials, etc.). Nevertheless, a really promising short-term and quite immediate solution is a circular economy around end-of-life gear. ́Closing the loop ́ by making new products out of it and financially incentivizing fishermen to deliver the gear at collection points, lowers the possibility that it gets lost elsewhere. Generally, the most convincing about circular economies in environmental conservation is the fact that no external funding is needed. In the times we live in, a project is more likely to be successful on the long term if it’s profitable or at least financing itself. That’s the motivation and story behind Fishing4Ghosts!