Terrible Home & Life Habits That Are Harming The Wildlife Around You

23.Unattended Fishing Gear

A fisherman needs to keep track of their fishing gear. When fishing gear is lost or abandoned, it can entangle marine life, causing injury and oftentimes leading to death. They refer to it as ghost gear, which often falls off boats and lands in the sea. Between 500,000 to one million tons of fishing gear are discarded and lost in the ocean every single year. This includes discarded nets, lines, and ropes, which make up about 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

According to World Wildlife, “Ghost fishing gear is the deadliest form of marine plastic as it unselectively catches wildlife, entangling marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks, subjecting them to a slow and painful death through exhaustion and suffocation. Ghost fishing gear also damages critical marine habitats such as coral reefs.” While scuba divers are working to remove this from the ocean, it’s also important we do our part. If you’re someone who likes to spend time on your boat and out at sea, always make sure you keep track of your nets, fishing lines, and gear (World Wildlife).