OTTAWA, ON, May 13, 2022 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is working hard to protect our oceans and the marine life they sustain. Lost, abandoned and discarded fishing gear, or ghost gear, can stay in our water for hundreds of years, causing harm to marine mammals, fisheries, and habitats. Through the Ghost Gear Fund, the Government of Canada has been working with industry and other partners to rid our oceans of ghost gear and create new solutions to reduce fishing debris.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, announced that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has launched a third call for proposals under the Ghost Gear Fund. The Department will provide up to $10 million in funding under this latest call for proposals, and at least 10 per cent of the funding will go towards projects that are led by Indigenous organizations and communities.
Since 2020, the Ghost Gear Fund has helped remove over 7,300 units of fishing gear from our waters. This amounts to 1,295 tonnes of gear--the equivalent weight of the Canadian Coast Guard's patrol vessel, the CCGS Cape Roger. The Ghost Gear Fund has also helped remove over 150 km of rope--a length that could stretch from Moncton to Saint John, New Brunswick.
In addition to removal activities, the Ghost Gear Fund also supports projects that support responsible disposal of ghost gear, new technologies to prevent gear loss, and projects to address ghost gear in developing nations.
More information on the application criteria can be found at Canada.ca/ghost-gear. Proposals must be submitted by June 6, 2022, at 23:59 PST.
Quotes
"Through Budget 2022, the Government of Canada is investing an additional $10 million into the Ghost Gear Fund, so we can continue doing great work with industry and partners to clean our oceans. Ghost gear is often an unintentional result from harsh weather conditions that our harvesters endure. I am pleased that this fund is not only removing harmful plastics from our oceans, but also focussing on preventing gear loss and disposing of gear responsibly. I look forward to seeing the results from this latest round of funding."
The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Quick Facts
- To date, the Ghost Gear Fund has supported 49 projects, totaling $16.7 million, under four program pillars: 1) ghost gear retrieval; 2) responsible disposal; 3) uptake and piloting of technology to prevent gear loss; and, 4) international leadership.
- Ghost gear is gear that is lost, often as a result of poor weather conditions, conflict with other gear, and snags with the sea floor.
- All commercial harvesters in Canada are required to report their lost fishing gear to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This reporting helps the Department and other partners locate and remove lost gear from our waters and, in many cases, return the gear to its rightful owner.
Associated Links
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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada
Claire Teichman, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 604-679-5462, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]
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