Ghost Fishing & Derelict Traps

Ghost fishing is what happens when a fishing trap is lost, abandoned, or broken free from its buoy — but keeps on trapping and killing marine life with no fisherman coming back to check it. A derelict trap sits on the bottom of the lagoon or ocean and continues doing exactly what it was designed to do: catch animals. The difference is, nobody ever empties it. Fish, crabs, and other creatures swim in, can't get out, and die. Then their bodies act as bait, attracting even more animals. This cycle can go on for years — sometimes a decade or more — from a single lost trap. In the Indian River Lagoon, where the water is shallow and traps are everywhere, derelict gear is one of the biggest hidden threats to marine life. The good news? You can help find and report them — and that's exactly what this lesson is about.