Experts issue warning over disturbing phenomenon observed in protected marine area: 'Not going to stop'

Floating fishing devices are being abandoned around the Galápagos Marine Reserve, leading to plastic pollution, entanglement of animals, and habitat damage.

What's happening?

According to Mongabay News, fishing aggregating devices have become a serious threat to the Galápagos Marine Reserve ecosystem. FADs are used by commercial tuna fishers and act as habitats for baitfish to lure in tuna. Satellite buoys attached to the floats allow vessels to find the devices to retrieve the catch. 

Many FADs are never retrieved. They can drift too far, lose their tracking device, or simply be discarded by vessels. Their large size often means fishermen would rather dispose of them than bother bringing them back onboard. 

The Galápagos National Park reported that 277 abandoned FADs have been discovered in the marine reserve since 2017, according to Mongabay News. It costs the national park up to $1,000 to retrieve a single FAD.

Why are FADs a big problem?

The large floating devices have nets beneath them to trap tuna, but they often also entangle animals like sharks, whales, and turtles. 

Entangled animals often don't survive. But even devices that don't entangle animals still pose a threat, damaging coral reefs and contributing to ocean plastic pollution. Some also worry these devices could lead to overfishing of juvenile tuna, which would deplete populations. 

While FADs are of concern in the Galápagos region, Mongabay noted that this is a global problem. FADs around the world are hurting oceanic ecosystems, threatening the fish populations that many people rely on for food and their livelihoods. 

Leonardo García, quality control manager for the Isabela Technical Unit at Galápagos National Park, told the publication, "This modality of fishing … is not going to stop." 

What's being done about FADs?

Galápagos National Park is working with an intergovernmental collaboration called the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, as well as TUNACONS, the Charles Darwin Foundation, and the British charity Galápagos Conservation Trust to find solutions. 

TUNACONS director Guillermo Morán Velásquez said to Mongabay, "Our goal is to close the loop: to design better, recover more and recycle or reuse as much as possible."

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The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission is also imposing new rules for its members in the coming years. IATTC members must use non-entangling FADs by 2025, partially biodegradable FADs by 2026,  and fully biodegradable FADs by 2029. IATTC is also establishing an FAD register to hold vessels accountable for the devices they deploy. 

The FADs are troubling, but with so many organizations working to remedy this global problem, there will hopefully be a sustainable solution soon that helps marine life and fishermen.

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