Microplastics have been all over the news this month as alarming new scientific studies show that microplastic contamination can now be found in 99% of fish and shrimp samples; in farmed land animals such as pigs, cows, and chickens; and now throughout the human body –  including our brains. 

The accumulation of microplastics in the oceans has been studied since the 1970s. These microplastic and nanoplastic (MNP) particles, which are usually invisible to the human eye, come from larger plastic products, such as bottles, disposable bags, and food packaging, that break down over time and leak into the environment. Marine animals absorb them through the water they ingest, which accumulates up the food chain to humans. 

Although synthetic clothing microfibers are the number one source of microplastics in the environment, there are already solutions available – such as washing machine filters – to prevent them from reaching our waterways. And consumers are now switching to long-lasting alternatives to single-use plastic straws, shopping bags and plastic bottles.

But one of the biggest sources of microplastics still isn’t getting much attention: the fishing industry.

Astonishing in its global scale and efficiency, the modern fishing industry extracts 1.1 to 2.2 trillion wild fish from the sea every year – in addition to the octopuses, shrimp, squid, and other marine wildlife targeted by commercial fisheries. 

Historically, the fishing industry used nets and fishing lines made from hemp and other natural fibers that harmlessly decompose over time. Fish aggregating devices were made of tree branches, and octopus traps were made from clay pots. 

Today, the commercial fishing industry is using plastic gear to empty the sea of any living organism they can sell – the nets are plastic, the lines are plastic, the fish aggregating devices are plastic, the octopus pot traps are plastic, the ropes are coated in plastic, the crates to store and transport the fish are plastic – despite the “collateral damage” it causes in bycatch, pollution, or environmental destruction: 

Because fishing gear made from these plastics is cheaper, lighter, and longer-lasting, they’ve become ubiquitous in the fishing industry throughout the world, from artisanal fishing up to industrial commercial fishing.

The Consequences:

1. Trashing the Sea: These plastics are light and engineered to last, so the fishing gear lost at sea can travel around the world on water currents, accumulating on the seabed in marine protected areas, choking out coral reefs, and washing up on uninhabited beaches where sea turtles nest. And because it’s so cheap, plastic nets and traps are also frequently abandoned or purposefully discarded at sea by the fishing industry instead of being responsibly disposed of or recycled on land. 

2. Ghost Fishing: Discarded nets, lines and traps (“ghost gear”) can continue catching and killing fish, marine mammals, and other wildlife indiscriminately for decades. According to a 2022 study, an estimated 2% of all fishing gear is lost annually at sea. That includes 740,000km of fishing line and 14 billion hooks, enough to circle the planet 18 times! Even “biodegradable” fishing line takes at least seven years to decompose, which is plenty of time to choke or entangle countless turtles, whales and seals. 

3. Microplastics Everywhere: Plastic fishing gear also eventually breaks down into microplastic and nanoplastic particles that can be ingested by all marine organisms, concentrating as they accumulate up the food chain. This can disrupt food webs, decrease fertility, and harm biodiversity. 

Even when laws exist regulating the type of nets allowed (deadly driftnets are banned) and require them to be disposed of properly, there is little enforcement even where laws exist. That means it’s more profitable to ignore the rules when there’s only a slim chance that they’ll be caught, let alone face any consequences. 

A View from the Frontlines on Sea Shepherd Campaigns

Sea Shepherd crew and volunteers on campaigns around the world are daily witnesses to the devastation caused by plastic fishing gear: 

-> Since launching Operation Siso in 2016, Sea Shepherd has worked in partnership with Italian authorities each year to confiscate illegal fishing gear found off Italy’s Mediterranean coast, including longlines, driftnets, FADs, and octopus traps, saving thousands of lives and reducing poaching and other illegal fishing activities in the area by 70%. Our Italian partners iMilani recycled over 8.6kg of ghost nets and other fishing debris recovered by our crew into foldable, fully recyclable Sea Turtle Crates used on our ship to transport rescued turtles to safety.

-> Sea turtles are doubly affected by abandoned fishing gear because when it washes up on their nesting beaches the mother turtles get trapped when coming to lay their eggs, and their babies can’t climb over the debris to reach the sea once they hatch. In 2019, Sea Shepherd’s Bob Barker helped clear over four tons of marine debris from a remote West African island in Cabo Verde, the third most important nesting beach in the world for loggerhead turtles.

-> For the past seven years, Sea Shepherd Germany has been patrolling the Baltic Sea to recover illegal and discarded fishing gear that threaten local species of cod and harbor porpoises. In 2024 volunteers spent 120 days pulling in over 5.5 tons of illegal gillnets and ghostnets, helping to protect these animals and clean up the surrounding habitat.

-> During Sea Shepherd Greece’s recent Octopus Campaign in the Thracian Sea, our crew removed over 6500 illegal octopus pot traps. Most of them were cheap plastic containers, like old olive pots, which break apart and release harmful microplastics into the water, not only threatening octopuses but also polluting the environment.

-> In 2024, Sea Shepherd Australia’s Marine Debris Campaign coordinated over 100 events and 2000 volunteers around the country to remove close to 40 tonnes of marine debris through remote and community clean-ups. That included working alongside Dhimurru Rangers to clean the coastal habitat of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, where sea turtles have finally returned to nest. 

What Can You Do to Take Action? 

Governments can (and should) take all kinds of measures to prevent fishing gear from further polluting the oceans. International agreements like the 2024 Plastics Treaty could have helped stem the tide of “ghost gear”—including plastic nets, lines, traps, FADs, ropes, and crates—by creating a legally binding, comprehensive framework to regulate the entire lifecycle of fishing gear (from design and trade through to end-of-life disposal), however it failed to get ratification. 

But each and every consumer has the power to make a difference!

- Donate: Your generous donations help Sea Shepherd continue these vital campaigns to help stop illegal fishing operations while pulling up this deadly illegal fishing gear wherever we encounter it. 

- Volunteer: You can also participate in your local Sea Shepherd chapter beach clean-ups (Important note: never try and retrieve abandoned fishing gear from the water yourself, it can be extremely dangerous for you and even harmful for the wildlife trapped in it; alert your local authorities if you spot one).

- Stem the Tide: Many conscientious consumers have already transitioned away from single-use plastics and now carry their own reusable shopping bags, stainless steel food containers, or glass water bottles. But one of the easiest ways we can all help stem the tide of microplastics – especially in our ocean –  is to reduce the demand for fish and the massive industry it supports. That means reducing or completely cutting fish from our diet.