Collaborating Across Borders: The North American Net Collection Initiative

This project was funded through the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act (P.L. 116-113), which provided the NOAA Marine Debris Program funding to prevent and reduce marine debris in the North American region. Chapter 24 of the USMCA includes specific environmental goals that highlight the need to take action to prevent and reduce marine debris, including plastic litter and microplastics, in order to preserve human health and marine and coastal ecosystems, prevent the loss of biodiversity, and mitigate the costs and impacts of marine debris. This project was awarded competitively and meets the environment goals of the USMCA by promoting waste infrastructure and removing marine debris across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Type of Project: North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal

Region: California and Mexico

Project Dates: September 2021 - August 2023

Who is involved?
With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Ocean Conservancy’s Global Ghost Gear Initiative is carrying out this innovative, cross-border derelict fishing gear project, in collaboration with Bureo, Inc. and the Manta Caribbean Project, which is based in Mexico. 

What is the project and why is it important?
Derelict fishing gear, or ghost gear, is lost and discarded gear that is no longer under the control of a commercial or recreational fisher. It includes nets, lines, crab/shrimp pots, and other fishing equipment. This type of debris can continue to catch and harm marine life, cause problems for vessels by wrapping around rudders and propellers, and damage ecosystems and fishing grounds. It is one of the deadliest and most harmful forms of marine debris to marine animals and has many negative impacts to fisheries, fisher livelihoods, and the marine environment. 

This project is helping to reduce ghost gear by launching an innovative new cross-border effort, the North American Net Collection Initiative (or NANCI), to collect used and retired fishing gear for processing and recycling for use in new products. The project also works with fishers and fisheries managers in both the United States and Mexico to improve the management of gear and promote recycling of end-of-life gear. Project partners are increasing the dialogue among the United States, Canada, and Mexico as three member governments of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative to share and strengthen solutions to reduce ghost gear in these countries. 

In Mexico, the project is assisting the Government of Mexico in developing a national ghost gear action plan, and increasing comprehensive understanding of ghost gear ‘hotspots’ through predictive modeling analysis and extensive fisher surveys. Through this project, the partners will help to reduce the amount of fishing gear lost or abandoned in the ocean, promote an innovative gear recycling model, and increase collaboration among the governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico to find solutions to continue to keep our ocean clean and free of marine debris. 

For more information about this project, visit the Marine Debris Program Clearinghouse.