Ghost Nets: Why They Keep Happening and What's Actually Working

A viral TikTok about fish aggregation devices drifting into marine protected areas got Andrew thinking about a topic he hasn't covered in a while: ghost nets. In this episode, he breaks down what ghost nets actually are, the scientific term for them (ALDFG, or abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear), and why they're a growing, well-documented problem from the ocean surface all the way down to the deep seafloor.

Andrew walks through what the peer-reviewed research shows: entanglement patterns across whales, seals, sea turtles, and coral reefs, a personal diving story off Big Cayman where he watched a ghost net get cut free from a loggerhead sea turtle, and the real economic and technical challenges holding back solutions like ropeless fishing gear and biodegradable nets. He also covers where progress is actually happening, from derelict net removal programs to circular economy recycling models.

This isn't a "just stop fishing" episode. Andrew makes the case that ghost nets are a solvable, adaptable problem, but one that needs more research funding, cheaper technology, and stronger enforcement to get there.

Takeaways from this episode:

• Ghost nets (ALDFG) are found from the ocean surface to the deep seafloor, and they keep catching and killing marine life for as long as they remain in the water.
• The animals most affected span whales, seals, sea turtles, and coral reef species, not just fish.
• Solutions like ropeless gear and biodegradable nets are real and improving, but cost and fisher adoption remain the biggest barriers.
• Stopping fishing altogether isn't a realistic fix. The path forward is better gear design, more funding, and stronger enforcement.
• Listeners can support the fisheries and programs that are already investing in gear-loss prevention and removal.