How the Global Ghost Gear Initiative is Delivering Real Change
In 2019, at the fifth Our Ocean Conference in Bali, the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) made an ambitious pledge: scale solutions to tackle one of the most persistent and destructive forms of marine pollution, abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), known as “ghost gear.”
At the time, the commitment was bold: 30 projects in 15 countries, $2 million more in funding, better data, and stronger global standards.
Seven years on, that vision is no longer theoretical. It is visible in coastal communities, fishing villages, and shorelines where practical solutions are being implemented, refined, and scaled. The Small Grants program, which supports GGGI members’ community work, is one of the methods the GGGI has used to bolster on-the-ground action in local communities.
This is what progress looks like when a global commitment meets local action.
Solving a Global Problem with Local Solutions
Ghost gear is uniquely damaging. It continues to trap marine life long after it is lost, degrades into microplastics, and threatens livelihoods by damaging fishing grounds. Addressing it requires more than cleanups. It demands systemic change, from prevention to recovery to reuse.
Since its 2019 commitment GGGI has significantly expanded its footprint, and now includes 160 member organizations and 25 member Governments. In Africa, the GGGI has supported projects in four countries. These initiatives demonstrate a shift from pilot concepts to operational, community-driven programmes.
In Nigeria, the Stand Out for Environment Restoration (SOFER) initiative has trained community-based ghost gear retrievers across eight coastal communities. Through the GGGI’s 2024 Small Grants program, the SOFER initiative retrieved over 1900 kg of ALDFG during on-shore cleanups in two communities. Their impact goes beyond removal. The project has created new economic pathways by supporting 25 local women to repurpose recovered fishing nets into textiles: turning pollution into income and embedding circular economy principles at the community level.
Building Circular Economies from Waste
That same model of removal, repurpose, reintegration is taking hold elsewhere.
In Malawi, Go Green Malawi has collected more than 9,447 kg of discarded fishing nets with the support of the GGGI’s Small Grants program. Rather than throwing it all in a landfill, the initiative has repurposed it into paving blocks; a practical demonstration of how local innovation can reduce pollution while contributing to infrastructure development.
In Uganda, the Uganda Junior Rangers have taken a different approach, combining infrastructure with awareness. Through the installation of net collection kiosks, they have enabled communities to safely dispose of old gear, resulting in the recovery of 40 tons of material. At the same time, their outreach campaigns have reached more than 100,000 people, helping to shift behaviours and build a culture of prevention.
Prevention Starts with Awareness
While recovery is essential, long-term success depends on preventing gear loss in the first place. That is where education plays a critical role.
In Cameroon, the Environment and Food Foundation has focused on building awareness among the next generation. By reaching more than 1,000 students through targeted education programmes and organising shoreline cleanups, the initiative is helping to embed environmental stewardship at an early stage. In 2025, Blue Victoria engaged with 250 fishers, 100 Beach Management Units representatives, 25 fisheries officers, and various other stakeholders around Lake Victoria in Tanzania via local community awareness and knowledge exchange events. To date, the project has successfully removed over 500 kg of ALDFG from the Mwanza Gulf.
This emphasis on prevention is key to implementing GGGI’s commitment to preventing lost gear by promoting best practices in fishing gear management, including the adoption of the Food and Agriculture Organization guidelines on gear marking. These standards are critical for reducing gear loss, improving traceability, and ultimately preventing ghost gear from entering the ocean in the first place.
Scaling Impact, Strengthening Systems
Taken together, these projects illustrate how GGGI’s 2019 commitments are being realised on the ground.
The initiative has also made progress on its structural goals. It has expanded funding even beyond its ambitious 2019 pledge, strengthened partnerships with certification bodies, and built the world’s most comprehensive repository of ghost gear data. These system-level efforts are essential for scaling impact beyond individual projects.
But the most important shift is conceptual. The fight against ghost gear is no longer framed solely as a clean-up challenge. It is increasingly understood as an opportunity to create jobs, empower communities, and build more sustainable fisheries.
From Pledges to Progress
The story of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative is a reminder that international commitments matter, but only if they translate into action where it counts.
There is still a long way to go. Ghost gear remains a global problem, and achieving a net reduction by 2030 will require sustained effort, investment, and political will. But the progress made since 2019 offers a clear signal: solutions exist, and they can work at scale.
From Nigeria’s textile workshops to Malawi’s paving blocks, from Uganda’s collection kiosks to Cameroon’s classrooms, the shift is already underway.
The task now is to accelerate it.
“Ghost gear is the deadliest form of marine pollution. Our bold commitment seven years ago has raised millions of dollars toward fighting this problem and introduced new ways of preventing gear loss in the first place. And the results are astounding: in 2024 alone, we pulled more than half a million kilograms of ghost gear from waters around the world. Together with our members, we’ve shown how to translate commitment into action.”
Ingrid Giskes, Senior Director of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative
