Open for consultation: guidance to reduce marine litter and protect animals

Lost or abandoned fishing gear, or ‘ghost gear’, kills hundreds of thousands of marine animals annually. The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) invites the public and industry to feed back on its new guidance to protect animals from this most harmful form of marine litter

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative recently developed the Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear (BPF).

The BPF is a set of guidelines specifically tailored to the seafood industry, empowering fishers, seafood companies, retailers, gear manufacturers, policy makers and others, to address practically, the issue of lost and abandoned fishing gear.

More than 40 GGGI participants from across the industry helped develop the BPF. It is the first framework of its kind to provide practical advice to help reduce fishing gear loss and mitigate its impact if it is lost.

Feasibility key for success

We established the GGGI in 2015, it is the first initiative dedicated to tackling the problem of ghost fishing gear at a global scale.

We’re pleased to now offer seafood industry stakeholders an opportunity to give input into a framework of this scale and detail.

Our goal is to make these guidelines as feasible and practical as possible. We want to hear from key industry stakeholders, who we hope will soon adopt the BPF as part of sustainable sourcing policies.

When implemented, the framework will help stop fishing gear becoming ocean waste, and prevent the injury and death of entangled marine wildlife. It will also help end additional expense and hazards for fishermen and marine communities, currently posed by lost gear. When nets are lost, they need to be replaced, incurring additional cost. Lost gear can also get caught in active equipment and damage it, as well as becoming entangled in boat propellers.

A warm reception for sea change

The benefits the Best Practice Framework can offer have already been recognised.

Guy Dean, vice president at Albion Fisheries Ltd. - a GGGI partner - said: “This is a big step towards implementing more sustainable fishing practices globally.

“Ghost gear is a very real impediment to sustainable seafood. Until now, a comprehensive approach to combatting ghost gear with recommendations for all fishery stakeholders was lacking. The best practice framework provides just that. We’re now looking for feedback on the framework so we can adopt elements of these best practices into our business activities.”

No stone unturned

No stone is left unturned. Whether you are a gear manufacturer, fisher, port operator, NGO or seafood business, the framework provides guidance for good management practices including:

• vessel storage
• gear deployment
• the proper disposal for ‘end-of-life gear’.

The guidance in the framework is based on the strongest available evidence and a series of best-practice case studies underway in different parts of the globe.

All parts of the seafood supply chain have a role to play to lessen the amount of lost gear and its detrimental impact on fish stocks, the marine ecosystem and marine animals that can become entangled.

How to feed back

You can feed back on the Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear via a quick and easy online survey.

We will also soon offer a chance to provide verbal feedback through a series of webinars.

“This is a big step towards implementing more sustainable fishing practices globally” - Guy Dean, vice president at Albion Fisheries Ltd.

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Urge one of the world’s largest cruise lines to boyc...

Sea change campaign

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Sea change campaign

Protecting animals in the face of a changing climate

To mark Earth Day (April 22), we hear from one of our experts about how we’re protecting animals from natural disasters

Climate change is real and its effects are here among us.

And with the climate changing, so is the frequency and intensity of disasters.

Floods, prolonged-droughts and super storms are increasingly common. They have a huge impact on animals, resulting in millions of deaths, year in and year out.

Using education to reduce __animal mortality

The theme of Earth Day 2017 is environmental and climate literacy.

It states that ‘education is the foundation for progress’ and highlights 'the need to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defence of environmental protection.’

In the context of natural disasters, education means the difference between life and death. It means preventing endless, unnecessary suffering for millions of animals around the world.

Not just one day

On this Earth Day and all year round, we work tirelessly to protect animals and communities through preparedness and education before disasters strike, as well as through emergency aid. This is as urgent as it gets: no one is safe.

We support farmers and pet owners to improve preparedness and reduce vulnerability. This helps protect both animals and the communities who depend on them. We also lobby governments so animals receive protection in disaster plans.

Gerardo Huertas, our international director of disaster management, tells us more:

Q. What are you doing to protect animals faced with worsening disasters?

Currently, World __animal Protection can deploy four to six teams of vets and disaster experts into the field for each disaster.

We are constantly recruiting and training disaster liaison officers in many vulnerable countries around the world, to speed-up and enhance our ability to help animals and communities.

Our target by 2020 is to have helped five million animals affected by disasters around the world.

We’re working with the United Nations to teach governments how to protect farm and working animals from disasters. 

We also promote a culture of preparedness among pet owners.

Filipino residents carry a dog through floodwater. Climate change is melting polar ice caps and causing sea levels to rise globally. Floods and storm surges are threatening coastal communities around the world.

Q. A study from 2015 found that half of disasters looked at were linked to climate change. How might climate change affect disasters, and ultimately animals?

As climate changes, all previous trends, patterns and knowledge go down the drain.

A year or two ago, weather scientists indicated that hurricanes in the Caribbean, for example, were going to happen less often, but be larger in power and hence, more dangerous. There is little folks and governments can do in the wake of giant, monstrous hurricanes, but there is a lot that can be done if they start early.

Droughts affect people and their animals by the millions, and leave scars that can last decades.

The new culture of risk reduction we champion is vital here. The adage that prevention is better than cure is hugely relevant. The more we can educate animal owners to prepare to protect their animals in advance, the more animals we can help.

Horses in Mongolia look for food under the snow. Mongolia is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Increased droughts in summer followed by colder and snowier winters threaten millions of animals and the traditional nomadic herder way of life.

Q. Are animals made more vulnerable by changes in the strength or frequency of natural disasters? 

By all means. Other factors compounding this are living or working in exposed locations, such as in the path of floods, in arid conditions or near volcanoes. Inhabiting shaky barns and suffering poor infrastructure is another factor causing vulnerability. But these vulnerabilities worsen with each event, and the lack of preparedness by some animal owners, and poor governmental ability to provide effective and immediate relief, makes things much worse.

Q. What can animal owners do to protect their animals?

We encourage animals owners to sit down and write a plan. I can’t emphasise the importance of this step enough.

Animal owners are uniquely-placed to identify the specific risks around their own animals, and work to mitigate them the moment they occur.

Animals have similar needs to their owners but they cannot take matters into their own hands when emergencies descend. They need to stay away from danger, an evacuation plan, a veterinary first aid kit, water and food provisions.

Vaccination records must also be kept updated. Animals also need to be properly identified in case they are separated from their owners. 

You can find out more about how we support animal owners to plan ahead and protect their animals here. We fully encourage preparedness. There is no time to lose.

Find out more about our work protecting animals from the impacts of disasters. 

Further reading

Tide keeps turning, as major travel company halts ti...

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"On this Earth Day and all year round, we work tirelessly to protect animals and communities through preparedness and education before disasters strike, as well as through emergency aid" - Gerardo Huertas, our international director of disaster management

South Korea takes steps to end cruel bear bile industry, following our campaigning with local partners

Countries that keep captive bears for traditional medicine must follow this positive example to end the captive breeding of bears for their bile

South Korea has taken landmark steps forward in ending its bear bile industry, with the completion of a government-funded programme to sterilise all captive bears used for bile.

The sterilisation programme follows 14 years of campaigning efforts in collaboration with our local partner Green Korea United (GKU), and in consultation with the South Korean Government and bear owners.

The programme will prevent any new bears from entering the industry, with the bears in the industry today the last to suffer for their bile.

Changing attitudes to protect animals

Many South Koreans have supported our lobbying for better protection for bears.

A landmark agreement was signed between the Government of South Korea and the Bear Farmers Association of South Korea in 2014, offering a voluntary exit plan for bears farmers. The recently completed sterilisation programme is actively encouraging bear farmers to stop the breeding of new bears for the industry.

‘A significant victory for wildlife’

Gilbert Sape, our head of campaign for bears and traditional medicine, said: “This is a significant victory for wildlife. It sends out a clear message that it is unacceptable for governments to continue to support industries that profit from the suffering and exploitation of animals.  

“South Korea’s example lays down the gauntlet to other countries in Asia, and particularly to China. There is no excuse to continue to support this industry, especially when there are humane alternatives readily available.”

A clear pathway for others

In Asia, more than 20,000 bears are forced to suffer in captivity for their gallbladders and bile, which is used in a variety of products, but primarily for the traditional medicine market. China is by far the largest producer and consumer of bear bile.

An Asiatic black bear caged at a bear bile farm in South Korea

Our new white paper, Ending bear bile farming in South Korea, created in partnership with GKU, sets out a clear pathway for other governments to end the bear bile industry.

In South Korea, the completion of the sterilisation programme marks the beginning of the end of the industry.

MP Jeong-Mi Lee of the Justice Party of South Korea said: "The completion of the sterilisation programme for farmed bears is a crucial milestone to reinforce __animal welfare in South Korea. It will become a catalyst to effectively resolve other __animal issues.”

Jeseon Bae, director of the Ecosystem Conservation Team, of Green Korea United, added: “We must ensure the outcomes of the sterilisation programme progress are monitored and enforced, and the outcome of no new bears entering the industry is strictly adhered to.”

We are committed to ending the needless suffering of bears, and have been working to protect bears for over twenty years; bringing an end to some of the worst cases of their exploitation globally.  

We will continue to lobby for change until bears are no longer forced to suffer in captivity for their bile, but remain in the wild, where they belong.

"There is no excuse to continue to support this industry, especially when there are humane alternatives readily available,” Gilbert Sape, head of campaign for bears and traditional medicine

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Our work with bears

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Our work with bears

Tide keeps turning, as major travel company halts ticket sales to 16 cruel animal venues

Thomas Cook has dropped a host of cruel, captive __animal attractions

British company Thomas Cook has announced it will join a raft of trailblazing travel firms who have stopped selling tickets to some of the world’s cruellest wildlife activities.

This move will protect hundreds of dolphins, elephants and other wild animals from exploitation in the name of entertaining tourists.

Joining the movement

The decision comes over a year after we first called upon Thomas Cook Group to stop selling tickets to cruel elephant rides at venues in Thailand, India and Zimbabwe.

We presented the company with a 174,000 signature-strong petition, showing just how many people wanted to see wild animals protected from horrific abuse in the tourism industry.

Following our petition, in January 2016, Thomas Cook announced it would stop selling and promoting elephant rides. It also carried out an audit on its entire range of wildlife experiences.

The round of 16 venues that will no longer be promoted by Thomas Cook is the latest win for animals.

The attractions affected include:

• 11 involving dolphins, including Sealanya in Turkey and Ocean World in the Dominican Republic, which subjects Japanese dolphins to invasive interactions with tourists
• other captive __animal venues including Baan Chang Elephant Park in Thailand, Asia Safari and Elephant Village in Khao Lak

Tourists riding elephants at an attraction in Thailand

Kate Nustedt, our wildlife director, said:

"The tide is turning as more and more companies stop selling tickets to cruel wildlife venues. Thomas Cook’s decision is fantastic news for the animals that have suffered and a clear sign to the industry that wildlife used as entertainment is unacceptable.

"We’d like to see more travel operators take up the mantle and show the same degree of responsibility to protecting animals."

Working with the travel industry

Wild animals suffer welfare abuse in cruel wildlife tourist attractions. Elephants are taken from their mothers when young, then isolated, starved and beaten until their spirits are broken and they are submissive enough to give rides and perform in shows.

To bring an end to this cruelty, we’re working with tour operators around the world, urging them to stop sending customers to cruel wildlife entertainment venues.

As a result of our Wildlife. Not entertainers campaign, 166 travel companies globally, including leading recommendation site TripAdvisor, Contiki, Kuoni Travel UK and Jetair have committed to stop offering visits to venues with elephant rides and shows.

Empowering with knowledge

Tourists visiting animal entertainment venues are often animal lovers, unaware of the cruelty and abuse inflicted in the name of entertainment. The travel industry has a key role in changing this.

Using Oxford University WildCRU research ratings and our own investigations in Asia and Africa, we defined a top 10 list of the world’s cruellest wildlife attractions:

1. Riding elephants
2. Taking tiger selfies
3. Walking with lions
4. Visiting bear (pit) parks
5. Holding sea turtles
6. Performing dolphins
7. Watching dancing monkeys
8. Touring civet cat coffee plantations
9. Watching charming snakes and kissing cobras
10. Visiting crocodile farms

Want to help? We're running a petition to help protect tigers from a 'new Tiger Temple' tourist attraction in Thailand. Sign now.

"Thomas Cook’s decision is fantastic news for the animals that have suffered and a clear sign to the industry that wildlife used as entertainment is unacceptable." - Kate Nustedt, our wildlife director

Further reading

North American fast-food giants, Burger King and Tim...

Animals in entertainment

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Animals in the wild

Animals in entertainment