[Type here] Global Ghost Gear Initiative Annual Meeting … debris and ghost gear removed so far),...

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GGGI Annual Meeting Summary

The 4th Annual GGGI meeting took place on 13th – 14th September at the Novotel 19/9 Soi Sukhumvit 20 in

Bangkok, Thailand. The objectives of the meeting were to:

1. Showcase and celebrate achievements within the GGGI and its participants and identify learnings

which can be replicated and initiated in 2018

2. Establish work priorities for 2018 and maintain the momentum achieved to date for the next year

3. Enhance working partnerships and leverage the collective to multiply the impact of the GGGI’s work

4. Elect the Steering Group members, appoint Working Group Coordinators and Chairs, and expand the

Project Review Board

The attendees for this year’s meeting were wonderfully diverse, representing private sector, fishing industry,

NGOs, IGOs and academia. The complete participant list can be found in Annex A.

Day 1 – Wednesday, 13th September, 2017

The meeting was facilitated once again by Claire Davidson from DRD Partnership, who

has previously facilitated the initial GGGI meeting in Slovenia in 2014, and the GGGI

meeting in Miami in 2016. Apart from being a terrific facilitator, Claire has personal

experience with ghost gear, having participated in a ghost gear recovery with the MS

Expedition in Nordaustlandet, the most northern beach in the Svalbard archipelago, in

which 11 tonnes of gear was removed from the beach. After some initial housekeeping,

we dove right into the agenda, starting with the newest GGGI video which set the

meeting off on a very inspiring note.

Following this was a presentation from GGGI Steering Group

members David Parker (Young’s Seafood) and Harry Owen

(Fisheries Consultant) welcoming the membership to the meeting,

thanking them for their continued support, and outlining the

direction of the Steering Group moving forward into 2018. The

Steering Group will be reporting back to the membership regularly

via the Secretariat’s quarterly newsletters so that the entire

organization is aware of any new developments.

Global Ghost Gear Initiative Annual Meeting

13-14 September, Bangkok, Thailand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cio7kSWK44Q

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Working Group Presentations

Build Evidence

• Chair: Gideon Jones, Emerald Sea Protection Society

• Coordinator: Kelsey Richardson, CSIRO

The Build Evidence group produced a working prototype of

their new ghost gear reporting app (a live demo of which

was given on day two). They also are building a global

data portal into which the ghost gear app, and several

other apps and data sets from various other sources, can

feed. Information collected and collated by the app / data

portal will include detailed information on the gear found,

as well as locational data which can be grabbed

automatically via a mobile device when in the field or

entered via GPS coordinates manually. When completed

by the end of 2017, this will be a huge asset for building

evidence around ghost gear worldwide, and will help to

inform the focus of our solutions work moving forward. We

will keep the membership informed when the app goes live

and will follow up with a formal announcement.

Define Best Practices and Inform Policies

• Chair: Grant Galland, Pew Charitable Trust

• Coordinator: Lynn Kavanagh, World Animal Protection

Next came the Define Best Practice and Inform Policies

Working Group. The major piece of work that came out of

the 2016 / 2017 work plan was the Best Practice

Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear, which

was created with the assistance of Ocean Outcomes (O2),

who has since joined the GGGI. Development of the

framework took place over several months and outlines

best practices in all aspects of the seafood supply chain,

from regulating authorities, gear manufacturers, fishing

companies and suppliers, right down to fishers themselves.

A stakeholder consultation process was held via a series of

webinars, which involved over 50 different organizations

from all regions of the world and resulted in further

refinements and feedback to ensure the document is as

robust, realistic and comprehensive as possible. The final

version of the Best Practice Framework will be ready for

distribution before the end of the year.



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Catalyse and Replicate Solutions

• Chair: Paul Strike, Fourth Element

• Co-coordinator: Rachael Merrett, Archipelago Marine Research

• Co-coordinator: Christina Dixon, World Animal Protection

The Solutions team implemented the Project Review

Board – a cross-working group board of experts who

review GGGI project proposals and evaluate them to

ensure they are replicable and scalable. All 8

projects that were delivered this year went through

this process. The group has also been successful in

securing funding for several projects, including

$75,000 USD from FAO for a gear marking project in

Indonesia and €100,000 EUR from the Belgian

government for a FAD tracking project in the South

Pacific. The group also created several solutions

project guidance documents which include case

studies and suggested methodologies, which will be

available to the membership in the coming months.

Secretariat Update

• Joel Baziuk, Global Ghost Gear Initiative Secretariat

2017 GGGI Highlights:

• Membership grew to 60+ participants

• Increased influence in global sphere

• Side event at SeaWeb Seafood Summit

• Participation in Circular Ocean Conference

• Plenary speech at UN Ocean Conference

• 12 Governments signed Statement of

Support (Belgium, Dominican Republic,

Netherlands, New Zealand, Palau, Panama,

Samoa, Sweden, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom

and Vanuatu)

Several overall improvements are planned for 2018:

• Improving the GGGI website

• Increasing social media presence / activity

• Showcasing more GGGI member projects

• Continuing quarterly webinars and newsletters

The financial outlook of the GGGI showed that member fees have increased the overall income of the GGGI

but not enough to carry the organization independently without a lead partner providing the backbone support

costs. However, we will ensure the GGGI will continue to grow into 2018 and beyond. This is the primary goal

of the Steering Group, who are committed to creating a business plan to ensure the GGGI remains the leading

global platform for addressing ghost gear.



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To increase our impact and take advantage of the momentum we’ve established so far, we need to properly

leverage the expertise, experience and skill set of our growing membership. All members were encouraged to

participate however they are able, including but not limited to:

• Joining Steering Group

• Joining / Chairing / Coordinating a Working Group

• Joining the Project Review Board

• Participating in Surveys and Webinars

• Sharing Knowledge and Data / Blogs / etc.

• Using the GGGI logo in connection with your work

• Thinking outside the box – how can you contribute to the collective?

New Annual Report

To tangibly measure our collective impact, we will be implementing a new year-end report. We will feed

information into this report via a year end online survey, which will gather data on how each organization is

contributing to the GGGI. The purpose of this report is to better understand and quantify how our membership

is helping to grow the organization and increase our collective impact in a tangible way and to showcase some

of the great work that’s being done. This report will be used to:

1. Demonstrate collective impacts to potential funders / participants

2. Quantify collective impact of the GGGI

3. Gather data to better inform the development of our work

We will be making a concerted effort to promote the work of our members and fully utilize the GGGI as a

visible global platform to increase our collective impact. Members are encouraged to provide us with stories,

projects and events they’ve attended so we can help spread our message while increasing exposure for the

GGGI as a whole. We will also be looking for members to participate in conference appearances and panels at

various events to better leverage the collective’s expertise. We also hope to increase brand exposure for GGGI

as well as our members through social media and an increased and active online presence. We ask all

members to remember that this is a collective and to make the biggest possible impact, we need everyone to

participate however they are able.

Expanding our Reach

Moving into 2018, we will be submitting proposals to make appearances at:

• Boston Seafood Expo, Boston (March 11-13)

• 6th Annual Marine Debris Conference, San Diego (March 12 – 16)

• SeaWeb Sustainable Seafood Summit, Barcelona (June 19 – 21)

• Our Ocean Conference, Bali (dates TBD)

If your organization is interested in appearing on a panel or contributing as a GGGI member to any of

these events, or if you are aware of any other opportunities that would be beneficial for GGGI to attend,

please let the Secretariat know.



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A visual demonstration of the truly global reach of the GGGI – we’ve come a long way since our humble

beginnings in 2015!

GGGI Member Video # 1

Fathoms Free – United Kingdom

• BBC Spotlight on ghost gear recovery work in Cornwall, UK

• Working with local partners to remove gear and educate people

Working Group Session # 1

• 2017 Accomplishments

• Who was reached and how

• How to multiply effects of our achievements to date

Lightning Talk # 1

Rob Thompson, Fathoms Free – United Kingdom

Fathoms Free, a UK based volunteer team of divers and community engagement specialists, presented on the

great work they’ve been doing in Cornwall to not only remove ghost gear from the sea (15,000 pieces of

marine debris and ghost gear removed so far), but also to engage with the local community, organizing beach

cleans and awareness events most weekends. Rob Thompson, Founder of Fathoms Free, described how they

have worked with numerous local stakeholders, including Keep Britain Tidy, the Torbay Cleaner Coasts

Initiative, and the National Lobster Hatchery.



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Lightning Talk # 2

Claire Potter and Jake Arney, Claire Potter Design – United Kingdom

Claire Potter Design has been focusing on recognizing

ghost gear and other marine plastics as valuable

materials, and making splendid and innovative pieces out

of this material. In addition to design elements, they are

also marine litter researchers, Founders of the “Plastic

Free Pledge” anti-marine litter campaign in the UK, and

work closely with the World Cetacean Alliance. They are

currently working with MCB Seafoods and the Centre for

Sustainable Design to investigate ways that ghost gear

and marine plastics can become “precious plastics”. This

project is due to end in March of 2018, so stay tuned on

further developments!

Lightning Talk # 3

Joan Drinkwin, Natural Resource Consultants – United States

Our third lightning talk was given on some work done with Northwest

Straits Foundation in Puget Sound to prevent and remove lost crab

pots. This area has a very complex fishery with numerous species

being harvested, resulting in gear conflict issues and an estimated

12,000 crab pots lost annually. Since 2002, over 4,000 pots have been

removed, which are estimated to have been killing ~ $1 million USD

worth of Dungeness crab every year. This is a complex project, as it is

a very active area and solutions must be cost effective, feasible,

scientifically justifiable and must also respect tribal treaty rights and

commercial and recreational crab fishing in the area. There are 36

formal advisors to this project to help navigate this situation and ensure

it is done in the best possible way. This involves regulation, education

and communication across the various stakeholder groups to ensure

that gear loss is minimized.


• Developing new work plans

• Building momentum for 2018



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Northwest Straits Foundation – United States

• Series of educational videos on crab pot best practices to minimize pot loss

• Aimed at recreational fishers, but tips can be used by commercial fishers as well

GGGI Special Guest Speaker # 1

Ben Kneppers, Bureo - Chile

Ben Kneppers gave an inspiring presentation, demonstrating

their unique business model which incorporates circular

economy, social responsibility and incredible creativity at every

stage. Bureo creates several different products out of end-of-life

fishing net, which is recycled into their Net Positiva plastic,

designed to be a truly positive impact material. From

skateboards and Frisbees to office chairs and even an upcoming

Jenga set called Jenga Ocean, these products are themselves

recyclable and contribute to empowering local coastal

communities in Chile. Bureo’s business model has social and

environmental repsonsibility at its core, and serves as an

excellent example of a scalable and replicable solution project.

Day 2 – Thursday, 14th September, 2017

To start off day 2, the new GGGI Steering Group was announced and introduced. For the first time, we will

have a full 7-member Steering Group. To give the Steering Group some more stability, it was agreed that

Steering Group member terms would be increased to two years, as opposed to one, and that the terms would

be staggered to ensure continuity moving forward.

The 2017 / 2018 Steering Group members are:

• Tom Barry – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (1 year)

• Joan Drinkwin – Natural Resource Consultants (2 years)

• Ingrid Giskes (Chair) – World Animal Protection

• Harry Owen – Fisheries Consultant (1 year)

• Natallia Paliakova – Fathoms Free (2 years)

• David Parker (Vice Chair) – Young’s Seafood (1 year)

• Paul Strike – Fourth Element (2 years)



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The new Project Review Board (PRB) was also announced. The PRB is a cross-working group board of

individuals who review projects submitted to GGGI to ensure suitability and compatibility with GGGI aims and

goals.

The current PRB consists of:

• Natalie Barefoot – Cetacean Law

• Joan Drinkwin – Natural Resource Consultants

• Riki Gunn – Ghostnets Australia

• Denise Hardesty – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization

• Claire Potter – Claire Potter Design

• Bourton Scott – Emerald Sea Protection Society

• Joanna Toole – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

• Pascal Van Erp – Ghost Fishing

Lightning Talk # 4

Anissa Lawrence, TierraMar – Australia

TierraMar is concerned with the ghost nets that continue to accumulate on

Australia’s northern shore, where over 13,000 nets have been removed to

date. However, the problem is not just an Australian one, as some nets often

travel with ocean currents from southeast Asia, so the challenge is to stop

the problem at its source. TierrMar has worked with Ghostnets Australia to

enlist the help of local fishers to help find solutions to this growing problem.

They also look for opportunities to work with local communities to empower

them while helping to clean the ocean at the same time, similar to Interface

and ZSL’s “Net-Works” program. The SeaNet Indonesia program is similar

and aims to build a sustainable seafood industry to support coastal

communities and livelihoods in the Arafura Sea.


The Working Groups presented on their updated work plans. Each gave a 15-minute presentation followed by

a short Q&A session. Very broadly speaking, the work plans for the groups are focused on:

• Build Evidence – rolling out the ghost gear app and data portal and maximizing its effectiveness by

reaching out to other organizations and databases with relevant data stores and incorporating this data.

• Best Practice – promoting the completed Best Practice Framework and incorporating it into seafood

certification schemes and regulating authorities.

• Solutions – further expanding solutions work across the globe with a focus on developing nations, and

collaborating with other organizations to develop projects and increase funding.

The Working Group work plans are ambitious, as always, but they remain realistic and achievable. More

information on the finalized and revised work plans will be forthcoming at the end of October, 2017.



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Emerald Sea Protection Society – Canada

• Lost gear and marine debris recovery project in Ucluelet, British Columbia

• Project involved educational follow up with an elementary school oceanography class

Outlook for the GGGI

• Ingrid Giskes, Head of Sea Change Campaign – World Animal Protection

• David Parker, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility – Young’s Seafood

• Peter Mason, Manager of Special Projects – World Animal Protection

Since its inception in 2015, the GGGI has

continued to grow into the leading platform

for addressing ghost gear on a global

level. This past year in particular has been

a huge momentum builder for GGGI, as

we have had 12 governments sign the

Statement of Support, produced the Best

Practice Framework, developed a ghost

gear reporting app and accompanying

global data portal into which data can be

fed, secured substantial funding from

external sources for solutions projects,

and developed 8 new solutions projects

across the globe. Further, due in part to

tireless lobbying, the GGGI has been

gaining traction in the policy arena, as the first target (14.1) under UN Sustainable Development Goal 14

referring to “life below the water” urges countries to reduce all forms of marine pollution by 2025. Additionally,

in November of 2016, the issue of ghost gear was elevated in the UN General Assembly Sustainable Fisheries

Resolution through the recognition that ghost gear is an increasingly pervasive and destructive form of marine

debris requiring urgent preventative and removal action, and the acknowledgment that ghost gear has

economic and social impacts in addition to environmental ones. All of this has helped to raise the GGGI’s

profile as the go-to organization for solving the ghost gear issue.

World Animal Protection is committed to providing the backbone financial support for the GGGI until the end of

2018 and will then reduce its resourcing to that of an actively engaged GGGI member. World Animal Protection

wants to see the GGGI continue to grow its influence, and is working closely with the Steering Group on

researching and approaching future potential funders. There are several support models that could work for the

GGGI including a new single lead partner model, a group of lead partners contributing equally, or the GGGI

becoming integrated into a broader like-minded alliance.



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Project AWARE – United States (head office)

• Dive Against Debris marine debris reporting app (available now on Google Play and Apple App Store)

• Compatible with GGGI ghost gear app and data portal


Pelagic Data Systems – United States

• Solar powered vessel tracker, deployable anywhere to give accurate location data on fishing vessels

• System is up and running in 60 communities in 11 countries, including Africa and Southeast Asia

Lightning Talk # 5

Claire Petros, Veterinary Surgeon, Olive Ridley Project – Pakistan

Claire Petros presented on their work in Rehmangoth, Pakistan, where they work to

recover lost fishing gear to protect the vulnerable Olive Ridley Turtle. In addition to

removing ghost gear when they find it and rescuing turtles and other marine life they

find entangled in it, they also work to educate the local population about ghost gear

and its harmful effects on wildlife and the local environment. Given the remote

location of Rehmangoth, storage of recovered nets was a problem. They came up

with a brilliant solution, using recovered plastic bottles filled with sand to create a net

storage building, where nets can be stored prior to being recycled. The local

population also creates jewelry and artwork out of some of the recovered gear, giving

a further incentive for them to participate in the program.

Lightning Talk # 6

• Kalin Varbanov, Plastix Global – Denmark

• Elizabeth Hogan, World Animal Protection – United States

Another lightning talk then followed on the Dutch Harbor, Alaska end-of-life

net recycling project. This project is occurring on a remote island in the

Alaskan archipelago which houses the busiest fishing harbor in Alaska.

Project partners include Swann Nets, Offshore Systems Inc., Trident

Seafood, Plastix Global and the local fishers, who have significantly

increased the continued viability of the project by agreeing to pay the costs

to have the nets bundled for transport. Bundled nets are then sent to

Plastix to be recycled into PE pellets for use in new materials. This project

has been hugely successful due to the willingness of the fishing industry to

contribute and participate, and serves as a model that is scalable in other

parts of the world.





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Lightning Talk # 7

• Joanna Toole, Fisheries and Aquaculture branch of the United Nations Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) – United Nations

Joanna Toole gave a presentation on global fisheries policy. Joanna began her

presentation by clarifying what FAO’s mandate is – an arm of the United Nations

specializing in food security and sustainable fisheries. The Committee on Fisheries

(COFI) is a subsidiary of the FAO Council and is the only inter-governmental forum

where major international fisheries and aquaculture issues are discussed and non-

binding recommendations can be made to governments. It is important to note that

FAO can only take on specific actions if requested by COFI members

(governments), the UN General Assembly or the FAO Council. That said, there are

opportunities to leverage the increased priority put on marine debris, including ghost

gear, specifically with respect to Sustainable Development Goal 14. Influence of the

FAO Code of Conduct is substantial, and many governments and organizations

take guidance from this. There are definite synergies between GGGI and FAO

mandates, specifically in the developing world, presenting opportunities to work

closer together in the future. GGGI is already working with FAO on a gear marking

project in Indonesia the findings of which will feed into the FAO Technical

Consultation on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear.


National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) – United States

• Whale entanglement rescue video

• Clearly demonstrates the dangerous nature of this work and the bravery of those who attempt it

GGGI Ghost Gear App and Data Portal

Gideon Jones, Board Director, – Emerald Sea Protection Society

Gideon Jones, gave an engaging presentation on the upcoming ghost gear

app and global data portal he has been developing in concert with CSIRO.

Gideon gave a live demonstration of the app to showcase its features and

user interface. The app is fluid, visually pleasing and, most important of all,

easy to use. Users can report as much or as little information as they are

willing and able to provide, as any data is better than no data. Data collected

from the app will feed into the global data portal, which is designed to

consolidate data on ghost gear from numerous different sources (not just the

ghost gear app), which will provide a single cohesive data set from which to

pull in the future. There will be more information on this app and database,

including a video demonstration of it in action, later in October. The app is due

to be complete by the end of 2017.



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GGGI Special Guest Speaker # 2

Vesa Tschernij, Municipality of Simrishamn MARELITT - Sweden

The day wrapped up with a presentation from Vesa Tschernij on the

MARELITT Baltic project, which has been dealing with ghost gear

issues in the Baltic Sea since March of 2016. Vesa himself has been

working on the issue for over 20 years, and brought a wealth of

knowledge and experience to the room. The goals of MARELITT align

very closely with GGGI, focusing on reducing the ghost gear problem

through information sharing, developing and testing mitigation tools and

promoting a broad international dialogue. In addition to some test

projects in the area, the project made major strides in quantifying the

ghost gear problem in the Baltic sea and has accumulated some

extremely important data in the process. Vesa was very interested in

finding ways that GGGI and MARELITT can collaborate on projects in

the future, further increasing the reach of both organizations.



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ANNEX A – Attendee List

• Archipelago Marine Research: Rachael Merrett, Goundfish Hook & Line Data Coordinator

• Bureo: Ben Kneppers, Co-Founder

• Claire Potter Design: Jake Arney – Designer

• CSIRO: Kelsey Richardson – PhD Candidate

• DRD Partnership: Claire Davidson – Partner and Facilitator

• Ecotrust Canada: Racheal Weymer – Project Manager

• Emerald Sea Protection Society: Gideon Jones – Director

• FAO: Joanna Toole – International Consultant, Fisheries and Aquaculture

• Fathoms Free: Rob Thompson – Founder / Natallia Paliakova – Diver

• Fourth Element: Paul Strike – Managing Director

• Freelance Fisheries Consultant: Harry Owen

• GhostNets Australia: Riki Gunn – Coordinator

• Natural Resource Consultants: Joan Drinkwin – Associate Partner

• Ocean Conservancy: Allison Schutes – Senior Program Manager – Trash Free Seas

• Olive Ridley Project: Claire Petros – Veterinary Surgeon

• Municipality of Simrishamn: Vesa Tschernij – Project Manager

• Pelagic Data Systems: Will McDonald – Chief Architect

• Plastix Global: Kalin Varbanov – Logistics Operations Manager

• Project AWARE: Hannah Pragnall – Program Specialist

• TierraMar: Anissa Lawrence – Managing Director

• World Cetacean Alliance: Claire Potter – Designer

• World Animal Protection: Christina Dixon – Campaign Manager

• World Animal Protection: Darren Vanstone – Corporate Engagement Advisor

• World Animal Protection: Elizabeth Hogan – Campaign Manager

• World Animal Protection: Ingrid Giskes – Head of Sea Change Campaign

• World Animal Protection: Joel Baziuk – GGGI Secretariat

• World Animal Protection: Lynn Kavanagh – Campaign Manager



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