Case Study: Ghost Gear Fund Project

Sponsored by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Ghost Gear Fund looks to technology solutions to prevent lost fishing gear from polluting Canada’s oceans. Marine Thinking contributed to the project fund by supporting related to both ghost gear retrieval and prevention.

As a contracted service provider for an Atlantic Canadian fishing association, Marine Thinking used remote operated vessels (ROV) to successfully find and identify ghost gear in lobster fishing areas (LFA) 36 and 37.

In 2023, Marine Thinking will enter the second phase of its lobster trap tracker pilot project, which will digitally track the last known GPS position of each trap and utilize sonar imaging to help retrieve the fishing gear. This technology will reduce future ghost gear situations while helping the fishing industry transition to ropeless fishing. The trackers are scheduled to be released in lobster fishing areas (LFAs) 33 and 34.

To learn more about our ghost gear retrieval and prevention solutions, including Lobster Trap Tracker, please Contact Us.