Ghost Fishing…sounds scary doesn't? Well it's just as scary as it sounds for fish, for ecosystems and for people and the economies that rely on the benefits of the sea. Ghost fishing occurs when lost or abandoned fishing gear remains in the ocean and catches fish or other marine life, indiscriminately killing whatever it catches.

The PROCARIBE+ Project is supporting countries of the wider Caribbean region to reduce the negative consequences of unsustainable fishing gear and practices in the spiny lobster fishery, particularly "ghost fishing" (abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear). The Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA) is leading the efforts to reduce impacts from unsustainable fishing gear and practices in Caribbean spiny lobster fisheries.

SICA/OSPESCA, with the support of the PROCARIBE+, developed a training workshop on the operational use of the “ROV FIFISH E-GO” REMOTE SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLES in Roatán, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras, in june, 2025. This technology is typically used to study marine ecosystems, map the ocean floor, monitor marine species and assess the impact of climate change, but can also be used to tackle Ghost Fishing.

“This cutting-edge technology will allow us to identify the current conditions in which these lost pots are found, addressing social, environmental and economic components,” said Marco Osorto, Head of Research and Technology Transfer SAG-DIGEPESCA.

Some data about lost fishing gear

An estimated 640,000 tons of fishing gear is lost or abandoned in the oceans each year. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Environment Programme estimate that one-tenth of all debris in the oceans is made up of this ghost gear.

Abandoned gear can also disturb the seabed and marine environment; it can create problems for navigation when boat propellers get caught in it, which in the worst case can lead to boat capsizes and fatalities.

Phantom gear can also wash up on beaches as litter, becoming a hazard to birds and other coastal species and a health and safety hazard to bathers.

"Every year in the Caribbean, hundreds of pots are lost and continue to catch lobsters and fish, many of which die without remedy. This directly affects the populations of aquatic organisms and reduces the economic potential of the fishery," explained José Infante, SICA/OSPESCA Regional Director, highlighting the urgency of addressing this phenomenon known as ghost fishing.

How are these abandoned fishing gears abandoned? Storms or bad weather can wash them off boats and into the water. The marine environment itself can cause fishing gear to break or fishing gear to become so entangled in other objects in the ocean that it is too difficult to retrieve them. But also some fishing gear may have unclear ownership and are abandoned without repercussions.

Fortunately, there are solutions that mitigate the impacts of this problem, such as identification of the root cause of the problem,creating economic incentives for gear recovery and capacity building such as this training workshop on underwater drone use.

PROCARIBE+ Project, as part of its commitment to protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing coastal and marine resources, under its component 2: National Enabling conditions is working under three core principles: building strategic alliances to amplify reach; aligning with ongoing initiatives to avoid duplication; and leveraging existing tools, expertise, and resources