Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada
“Working together to develop sustainable solutions for end-of-life and abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing and aquaculture gear.”
What They Do
The FGCAC is a not-for-profit and non-governmental organization composed of over 50 members from various backgrounds including industry (fishing associations, gear suppliers), government, communities, and academia.
The coalition’s mission is to work together to develop sustainable solutions to end-of-life, abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing and aquaculture gear (ALDFG), and associated materials.
The FGCAC formed first as a Fishing Gear Action Group in November 2018 during the Clean Ocean Summit hosted by the Clean Foundation, later rebranding in Spring 2019 as the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada. The Membership expanded during the Clean Ocean Summit 2.0 in November 2019. The FGCAC was incorporated in February 2020 and has a Board of Directors.
The FGCAC Membership works towards five action items, which are addressed by an Action Team that reports back to the Coalition on a quarterly basis.
The Action Teams
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To improve existing permitting to ease fishing gear retrieval both at sea and on land.
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To develop convenient solutions for onshore disposal of fishing gear and associated materials. This Action Team is working on the End-of-life Fishing Gear Management Project.
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To create a list of BMPs for gear retrieval that will be publicly available.
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To improve internal communications and external outreach.
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To create, refine, and expand hot-spot maps of known gear loss areas in Atlantic Canada.
These action items are the core work of the FGCAC.
“Commercial fisheries (sea and freshwater) play an important role in Atlantic Canada’s economy, employing close to 33,000 harvesters, generating $3.2 billion in 2020 and supporting 1,000 rural communities.”
“Finding Long-Term Solutions for End-of-Life Fishing Gear”
Since forming in November 2018, the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada (FGCAC) has been working together on preventing and recovering end-of-life fishing gear and ALDFG, and developing sustainable solutions to retrieve and manage these materials.
The FGCAC’s largest current project is the End-of-life Fishing Gear Management Project, which is funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Divert NS, and Clean Foundation. The goal is to design a (voluntary or regulated) management program model for end-of-life fishing gear across Eastern Canada, starting with a wire lobster trap pilot in Nova Scotia.
The project objectives are to research current waste/recycling practices and design program options; engage stakeholders and rights holders; and create and implement model program pilot in Nova Scotia municipalities, including removing stockpiles of fishing rope and wire lobster traps.
Managing End-of-Life Fishing Gear
FGCAC Best Practice Guide for Managing ALDFAG
The Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada (FGCAC) defines Best Management Practices (BMPs) as a combination of tools, methods and processes that are effective and practicable means of preventing and mitigating abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing (ALDFG) and aquaculture gear. This Best Management Practice Guide for Managing Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing and Aquaculture Gear is intended for individuals, organizations, and businesses, within and outside of FGCAC membership, that are planning or conducting related projects in Atlantic Canada, to help increase their effectiveness by providing insight on tools, methods, and processes to manage ALDFG, end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear.
The State of Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear in the Canadian Maritimes (East Coast)
This report was compiled by Alexa Goodman, one of the FGCAC’s Members, in 2020. The information in this report is foundational to the other projects. For example, this report recommended further research to find solutions for end-of-life fishing gear, leading to the End-of-life Fishing Gear Management Project.
Finding Solutions to Ghost Fishing Gear
The FGCAC is always seeking funded project opportunities related to their organization’s mission to continue and expand their work. If you have an idea that could help solve the issues around end-of-life and abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing and aquaculture gear (ALDFG), and associated materials, please reach out to info@fgcac.org.
Perhaps the FGCAC or one of our Coastal Champions could partner, collaborate, and work together to develop the idea into a real solution.