Experts from around the world are meeting in London today to launch the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), marking the start of an action plan to tackle the urgent problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear.
The GGGI, driven by World Animal Protection, has brought together leading experts, including the United Nations Environment Programme, the Marine Stewardship Council, Young’s Seafood Limited and Australia’s Northern Prawn Fishery to share their knowledge and expertise to ensure safer, cleaner oceans.

The Internet erupted with praise in August when United Parcel Service tweeted that it would stop shipping shark fins. But the decision — after a petition to the delivery giant garnered 178,000 signatures — addressed just one of many concerns about the ecologically vital but often threatened marine species.

The plastics we throw away have been mistakenly eaten by around 90 per cent of all sea birds alive today - and the rate is expected to grow to 99 per cent by 2050.
The figures, revealed in an international study published yesterday, are particularly relevant for New Zealand, which is considered the global centre of seabird diversity.

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a growing problem. This study, which is the first to investigate the presence of plastic debris in large pelagic fish in the central Mediterranean Sea, found that over 18 per cent of fish had ingested plastics.
Marine litter, defined by the European Commission as any persistent manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment, is an escalating environmental problem, reports Science for Environmental Policy.

The European Commission has today issued a headline reduction target for marine litter in Europe as part of its Communication on a Circular Economy. We believe that this target is inadequate and will need to be significantly strengthened to really tackle the problem of waste entering our seas.

New Zealand has boosted the protection of sharks by signing the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry have signed the agreement today which aims to improve the conservation of seven migratory shark species vulnerable to over-exploitation.
“This international memorandum is the first global instrument of its kind, and we join 38 other countries in becoming a signatory,” says Mr Guy.

2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and 40 years since movie goers were introduced to Hollywood’s portrayal of the great white shark in Jaws.
Within days of the release of Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster movie‘ Jaws’ in June 1975, CITES entered into force.

The European Union’s Blue Growth agenda aims to harness further the potential of Europe’s oceans, seas and coasts for jobs, economic value and sustainability. A new report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that, despite some improvements, the way we use our seas remains unsustainable and threatens not only the productivity of our seas, but also our well-being.

Global event tackles solutions for a world where plastic is used, but without its current footprint.

A total of 7.5% of all European marine fish species are threatened with extinction in European waters, according to the European Red List of Marine Fishes published today by IUCN and the European Commission. While some species are recovering, marine management has been less successful for many other commercial fishes: 40.4% of European sharks, rays and chimaeras face an elevated risk of extinction.