Proceedings of the Untangled symposium: - WSPA

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3Overview of the Untangled sessionsThe symposium was opened by Lyndall Stein, WSPAInternational Director of Campaigns, and Claire Bass,WSPA Oceans Campaign Leader, who welcomedand thanked delegates before providing an overviewof WSPA’s interest and involvement in the globalmarine debris problem from an organisationalperspective, and set the animal welfare context forthe rest of the symposium.Vincent Sweeney of UNEP delivered an inspiringkeynote speech, providing the international context ofthe problem and an overview of the work that UNEPis currently involved in, including the development oftheir Global Partnership for Marine Litter (GPML). Laterin the evening, participants were treated to an upliftingpresentation from Holly Lohuis, Director of Jean-MichelCousteau’s Ocean Futures Society.During the first morning, presentations were structuredaround three solution-based themes:• Reducing the amount of entangling or animal-harmingdebris entering the marine environment• Removing marine debris which is already in the marineenvironment• Rescuing the number of animals already entangled inor affected by marine debris.During these concurrent group sessions, 40 participantsgave poster presentations based on the above themes,highlighting the animal welfare problems causedby marine debris in different parts of the world, thechallenges faced in solving them, and examples ofsolution-orientated research and work. It was clear fromthese sessions and the accompanying abstracts (Annex4) that there are a significant number of organisationsand agencies, of all sizes, working hard to address themarine debris issue.Delegates were then split again into three differentgroups, reflecting the two main types of debris in themarine environment that cause problems for animals andthe need to respond to, and rescue, animals which havealready been affected by it:• Fishing gear – abandoned, lost or discardedfishing gear•Packaging/consumer litter – any form of packagingor consumer litter which ends up in the marineenvironment and causes animal welfare problems• Animal rescue/disentanglement – the actions ofdetecting, responding and rescuing animals injuredor entangled in any form of marine debris.Within these groups delegates formed sub-groups andtook part in facilitated discussions to identify and definewhat they felt were the priority animal welfare problemscaused by marine debris (Annex 2). Having defined theproblems, the same sub-groups were asked to identifyappropriate and viable solutions to these problems(Annex 2), including which key stakeholders would beresponsible and need to be involved, and the challengesthat would be encountered.A plenary session was convened to allow each groupto report back to the rest of the symposium delegates,giving an overview of their prioritised problems andsolutions. Delegates in the audience were asked toplace themselves in the mind-set of the identified keystakeholders and ask questions to constructively critiquethe proposed solutions. The presentations promptedlively discussion, with many important points beingraised and relevant information exchanged by all.On the final day of the symposium all delegatesattended a plenary session in which they were taskedwith identifying key knowledge gaps that exist inrelation to the solutions that had been identified in theprevious sessions. This resulted in a summary accountof what is known and what is not, including suggestionsfor where missing knowledge might be obtained.Subsequently, a session on communication was heldin which the discussion focused on how key messagesabout the marine debris problem and its solutionscould be communicated effectively to differentaudiences. Delegates then split into smaller groups,each tasked with a particular marine debris problem/solution and a stakeholder for whom they had toidentify key messages.At the close of the symposium, delegates stated theirshared concern for the animal welfare problems causedby marine debris and a commitment to take action bysigning up to a declaration which had been drafted by asmall group of delegates, from different sectors, over thethree days (Annex 1).8
4Summary of problem and solutionworkshop outcomesFishing gearAbandoned, lost or discarded fishing nets, particularlygill/drift nets, were identified as a priority problemrequiring urgent action due to the extent of the problemsthey cause for animals (i.e. number of animals affected)and the type of injuries they cause. Excess pot traps thatare lost and indiscriminately entrap or entangle wildlifewere also identified as a significant problem.A global ban on gill nets was proposed as the ultimatesolution to the problem, although the substantialchallenges that would arise in trying to achieve this banwere acknowledged. Despite these challenges, many feltthat given the significant difference a ban would make,it was worth aiming for. The United Nations has banneddrift nets in international waters (although this ban isoften circumvented) and there are also moves by somenational governments, such as Argentina, to ban therecreational use of gill nets in their own territorial waters,meaning there are precedents that could be built upon.A key source of concern is that there are currently norealistic alternatives to gill nets and a ban is not likelyto stop people from using them due to their efficacyfor catching fish. It was acknowledged that the level ofenforcement required to maintain the ban would be highall over the world.Other solutions focused on a variety of means toenable and incentivise fishermen 2 to safely disposeof their nets on land (for example, an increase in portwaste disposal and recycling facilities for nets) andintroducing better technology to make nets less likely toharm marine animals. Innovative solutions around therecovery of ‘ghost nets’ were put forward, emulatingschemes in places such as Norway, South Korea andHawaii where regular trawls take place to retrieve lostor discarded nets. The potential to recycle ‘end of life’nets (either disposed of in dedicated port waste facilitiesor recovered from the sea via trawls) into energy orother materials was agreed to be a compelling factorin creating both economic and green incentives for netrecycling schemes.A lot of discussion was held about the potentialchallenges of implementing different types of incentiveschemes to prevent fishermen discarding their nets,in particular the fact that it may be difficult to securegovernment funding in many countries, althoughcorporate sponsorship may play a role in this solution.It was emphasised that it would be unlikely to be a ‘onesize fits all’ approach as solutions would have to becatered to the particular markets and circumstancesin different countries. One suggestion was that it couldbe a fisheries-driven process, using a governmentadministrated‘pay to play’ system, linking the costof a license and possible rebates to a fisherman’s abilityto demonstrate that s/he has maintained their gear ingood condition. Within this system penalties wouldbe incurred for the loss of gear. The situation forartisanal fishers would need to be looked at in greatdetail as in many cases they are unlikely to be able toafford to pay extra fees and in such cases the idea ofnet ‘buy-back’ schemes was discussed as a potentialway of encouraging fishermen to maintain gear in agood state of repair, rather than using it until it fallsapart and is lost.With regard to traps, discussion centred on existing newtechnologies that can help make traps less of a danger tomarine animals; these ranged from traps that require onlyone line to traps that have rings or panels that degradeafter a period of time. The use of stiffened line was alsodiscussed and it was noted that this only reduces welfareproblems for some species; it would for example notprevent all whale entanglements. Regulatory measuresto reduce fishing effort with particular regard to thenumber of traps that are set each year were alsodefined as necessary.2In this document the term ‘fishermen’ will be used to refer to people ofboth genders who fish either commercially or recreationally.9
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Annex 5Delegate contact detailsName
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