Nobody ever thinks about the long-term damaging effects that nets cause the ocean. Fishing nets that are abandoned, or discarded at sea are known as “ghost nets”. They have been continuously killing for decades on end. They suffocate almost 1 million marine animals a year, including fish, dolphins, whales, turtles, sharks, and so much more. Even if the animal is lucky enough to escape, it may still die from its injuries. And, often, these cases cause a long, slow, and painful death for the animal. But, ghost nets are also a part of a much larger problem…unsustainable fishing practices. It adds thousands of plastic to the marine environment each year, which gets caught into the currents of the ocean, entangling the wildlife, damaging reefs, and invisibly and silently killing. “There’s no question that plastic straws cause harm, but the plastic pollution impact of fishing gear is definitely worse”. There was a survey conducted by the Ocean Cleanup Campaign where data was collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is an area twice the size of Texas, between Hawaii and California, that’s a virtual floating island of plastic debris. The research team found that 46 percent of the plastic in the patch came from one source: fishing nets. And, other fishing industry gear came in a close second.

While there are obviously many cons to fishing nets and pollution of the ocean with plastic, which can be helped by simply recycling, there is still some good reasoning for the usage of them. Especially depending on what type of net you are using, they can be beneficial toward ensuring the safety of the fish, helping the angler land more fish, which also helps with aiding and the release process of the fish. Fishing nets are also greatly used to free both young and endangered fish. Using fishing nets is also simply how people fish. Fishing is not only important for food security but also for the economy. The global fishing industry employs around 200 million people, which is why organizations are working to spread awareness about the use of sustainable fishing to help fight poverty.