Ocean zombie attack

They're the zombies of the deep. Un-dead nets that keep fishing even after they're lost by people and presumed dead. They're bad, they're deadly, and they're everywhere.

Fishing gear is designed to catch fish, and it keeps working even if lost at sea. How bad is the problem? Pretty bad, according to a new report from the United Nations Environment Group.

In some fisheries, 25% to 50% of fishing gear can be lost each year. That equals a lot of zombie fishing gear.

It's the real life ocean zombie plague, yikes.

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Lost fishing gear keeps on killing

What happens to old fishing gear? Lost nets, known as "ghost nets" can keep on fishing for decades, killing ocean animals indiscriminately.

Here in Puget Sound, people are trying to clean up the mess of lost fishing gear. It's an amazingly huge problem. The Seattle Times reports on a pilot project that aims to remove 12 tons of gear. That's just the beginning of solving this problem. Yikes.

According to the Times:

Officials believe that 4,000 nets and 14,000 crab pots still rest abandoned in Puget Sound, and the gear has already trapped and killed more than 30,000 animals.

How does old fishing gear kill?

Lost and abandoned fishing nets, crab pots and monofilament line lurking in the depths can mean catastrophe for marine life. Fish, crustaceans, sea birds and marine mammals die after becoming entangled in lost or abandoned commercial and recreational gear.

The dead animals attract predators and scavengers who then perish. In this manner, "a derelict fishing net can fish for decades," Williams said.

"These things are killing fields," said Gary Wood, executive director of Island County's marine-resource committee. "If they were terrestrial, that's what we'd call them. The reason there isn't a big hubbub is because they're underwater, so we don't see them."

Ugh.

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