A Fishes Article from All-Creatures.org

Fishing Harms Everyone

From IDA In Defense of Animals
Julyl 2022

Fish, birds, turtles, sea lions, seals, manatees, and even threatened and endangered animals such as North Atlantic right whales and olive ridley turtles are killed or seriously injured by ghost gear from commercial fisheries every year.

Our third annual Respect for Fish Day is Monday, August 1. We founded this special day in 2020 to create a more compassionate world for fish, whose concerns are almost universally ignored despite the fact that fish feel pain and experience emotions. This year’s theme is ghost gear - abandoned or lost fishing gear that injures and kills fish and other unsuspecting animals such as sea turtles and water birds. We need your help to raise awareness about the hazards of ghost gear in our communities. Read on to take part!

Ghost gear is made of extremely durable plastics that never truly decompose. Fishing nets, pots, traps, lines, ropes, and lures left behind by commercial and recreational fishers float through water indiscriminately injuring and killing animals indefinitely, sometimes for hundreds of years.

Fish, birds, turtles, sea lions, seals, manatees, and even threatened and endangered animals such as North Atlantic right whales and olive ridley turtles are killed or seriously injured by ghost gear from commercial fisheries every year. When fishing gear finally breaks down enough to no longer be an entanglement threat for animals, it converts into microplastics, which pollute habitats and are ingested by animals, including the humans who eat them. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

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