Ghost Nets Awareness

Ghost nets are lost nets that needlessly keep trapping and killing animals.

CMEPS advocates for the use of tagging systems on nets, responsibility on the part of fisheries and fishermen; retrieval, and reuse of lost nets; and use of old nylon gillnets, which can be seen in the water and are known as conservation nets instead of invisible monofilament gillnets.

These new invisible monofilament gillnets (also known as tangle nets) catch everything that swims too close to them. Even when lost at sea, they continue to trap and kill (or catching) even chinook salmon. The BC Fraser River chinook Salmon are already threatened by overfishing and lost nets (or ghost nets) are contributing to the problem. Orcas feed on chinook salmon

OBJECTIVES

to define emerging threats to

Canada's oceans and marine

species

to advance the creation of marine

protected areas (MPAs)

and to improve the protection and

conservation of threatened marine

animals.

PURPOSE

review major areas of marine

ecosystem vulnerability and

sensitivity,

examine strategies for protecting

and conserving marine ecosystems

and animals,

and produce consensus on

achieving milestones towards this

goal.

GOALS

to gain international recognition of

marine problems

to develop international regulations

necessary to safeguard marine

areas

to develop sustainable international policies for marine exploitation, since most fisheries are now past the sustainable point and many species have been fully exploited.

A little bit of CMEPS history

CMEPS has been a member of WCA (World Cetacean Alliance) since its first year, and has actively participated, filmed and supported the events and efforts of the WCA, including participating in sessions for the creation of Whale World Heritage Sites.