August 29, 2014 โ Thousands of fishing traps are lost or abandoned each year in the United States, and this type of "ghost fishing" is posing a real problem for marine life, according to a new NOAA-led study.
These derelict traps, as they're called, continue to catch fish, crabs, and other species such as turtles. Not only do they threaten marine life, but these traps also result in losses๏ฟผ to habitat, fisheries, and the watermen who depend on the resources โ losses that are largely preventable, researchers say.
"People may not realize that derelict traps can catch not just the target species of the fishery, but also other animals including threatened and endangered species where populations are already very low. Derelict traps can also harm sensitive habitats like coral reefs and salt marsh so they have a bigger impact than might be anticipated," co-author Ariana Sutton-Grier, from NOAA's National Ocean Service, explained in a statement.
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