OUR MISSION
GhostNetWork is a purpose-driven NGO whose aim is to build an impact movement and community to clean and protect the ocean, underpinned by art, action, and thriving local communities.
Our Community Platform is a place where organizations, the general public, creators, thought leaders, and experts can come together and learn about our ocean.
Running our own net-collection operations in Portugal, thanks to the collaboration of local organizations, different municipalities, and artists that contribute to raise awareness about the problem of ghost nets pollution.
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The most commonly found types of ghost gear are nets, ropes, fishing rods, hooks, and traps. As these items are designed to trap animals and are very durable, they can cause serious damages to the marine ecosystem, especially then floating around abandonedly. Animals get tangled in abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), attracting other animals that get tangled up as well and through that creating a deadly cycle, called cyclic catching.
Caught fish die and, in turn, attract scavengers that will get caught in the same net, therefore creating a vicious circle and negatively impacting the marine ecosystem. Lost fishing gear, or so-called ‘ghost gear’ is among the greatest killers in our oceans.
As modern gears are mostly made of non-biodegradable synthetic fibers, they can endure in the environment for long periods – and therefore can continue to catch fish for hundred of years.
OUR SOLUTION
Our currently running on-going projects:
GNW X ART
Ghost nets vary in shape, weight and material, therefore not all of them can be properly recycled. The ocean garbage that cannot be processed is given to fantastic artists who turn it into marvelous sculptures and more!
NETWORK
Sea Shepherd Dive UK
Together, Sea Shepherd and Dive partners conduct dive cleanups, host educational, outreach and fundraising events to promote our shared values around marine conservation.
By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd UK works to ensure their survival for future generations.
Planblue
Planblue’s Underwater Satellite technology helps detect plastic waste on the seafloor. Its data enables politicians, coastal managers but also the general public understand the severity of this problem via easily interpretable visualizations.
Make the invisible visible
Ghost Diving
Ghost Diving is a registered charity organization of volunteer technical divers specialized in the removal of lost (ghost) fishing gear and other marine debris since 2007. The organization was formerly known as Ghost Fishing foundation. Ghost Diving is the largest international diving organization working on the “ghost fishing” topic with a track record in a significant variety of countries and international waters. Our main goal is to expose the problem of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) worldwide. We do this by removing this fishing gear and visualizing it to the public.
Odyssey Innovation
Odyssey Innovation was born from a passion to rid the seas of plastic pollution. In 2014 founder Rob Thompson established a volunteer group of divers to retrieve marine plastic and ghost gear. The eureka moment came after a litter pick using kayaks, it ended with volunteers stood around a great haul of bin bags to have their photo taken.
The knowledge that these bags ended up in landfill had always played upon Rob’s mind and it occurred to him that he could make the kayaks out the plastics gathered and then use the kayaks to gather more plastic. It took a further two years of research and development for Rob to find a way of recycling the marine plastic into a material suitable for kayak manufacturing.
Olive Ridley Project
The Olive Ridley Project is on a mission to protect sea turtles and their habitats through rescue, rehabilitation, research and education
Nomad Surf
Nomads Surfing is a brand committed to protect the Ocean for future generations. Our mission is to give an eco alternative for surfers who want to be more responsible when it comes to buying their equipment. Surf fins made from ghostnets!
Waterhaul
Waterhaul is a social-enterprise focused on transforming waste into resource. We produce functional, high quality eyewear and equipment, produced from recycled ocean plastic and fishing nets, designed for outdoors adventure and coastal lifestyle.
Plastic Playgrounds
Plastic Playgrounds recycles fishing net waste into circular beach sport products. We are most proud of having developed a new beachsport called: ‘Beachaton’. It’s the first circular beachsport in the world and the rackets are made from recycled fishing nets. So by playing Beachaton you are not only playing a fun new beach sport but you also indirectly contribute to clean up the ocean from this dangerous type of plastic pollution called ghost gear. Help us in our mission to clean up the ocean and create awareness for this problem!
See2sea
SEA2SEE was started by François van den Abeele, a father and entrepreneur with deep passion for oceans and nature, convinced that around the globe consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, that they expect ecologically friendly materials, a conservation-minded use of resources, reduced emission of pollutants and greater social commitment.
François firmly believes that every drop counts in changing the world and reimagining product design, use and consumption habits is our duty and one of the greatest challenges of our time. Thinking about our future and the one our children will inherit should be second nature
