GGGI Newsletter - April 2024
|
|
Dear GGGI Members,
This month we have exciting developments to share with you as 2024 is offering opportunities to collaborate with our partners and stakeholders at in-person meetings and events in Canada, Mexico and Hawaii.
In April, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee will meet for the fourth time in Ottawa, Canada (INC-4), to continue the development of an Internationally Legally Binding Instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. GGGI will be there to advocate for the inclusion of specific provisions in the ILBI to prevent the occurrence of ghost gear.
This May, we will have an in-person GGGI Annual Meeting in Waikiki, Oahu, for the first time since 2019. The meeting, which is open to all GGGI members, will be a wonderful opportunity for our members to meet one another in person, forge new relationships and collaborations, and share perspectives on ALDFG work, government policy, fishing gear innovations, seafood industry developments and other GGGI leadership and member activities from around the world.
Read on for more information about removal work being done through partners in Mexico, the launch of the new GGGI website and more!
The GGGI community draws strength from the success of its members: if you have news you’d like shared in a future edition of the newsletter, please send it to our GGGI Coordinator, Laura Walker at lwalker@oceanconservancy.org. If you know someone who might like to hear future news from us, ask them to subscribe!
Sincerely,
The GGGI Team
|
|
|
|
GGGI to Hold Annual Meeting for Members in Waikiki, Oahu, Reservations Due!
GGGI will be holding our Annual Meeting exclusively for GGGI members on May 14-16 in Waikiki, Oahu. The meeting will be held at the Outrigger Reef’s Waikiki Beach Resort and will include lightning talks, panel discussions, breakout discussion and networking sessions, convenings for government and seafood industry partners, as well as an optional field trip to learn about efforts to address lost and abandoned fishing gear on Oahu. If you are attending the meeting, please be sure to reserve your room as a part of our block as soon as possible. Space at the resort is limited. We hope that all of our members will join us to get reacquainted and learn about all the amazing ghost gear projects that have been done since we last met, and lay the foundation for future collaborations!
|
|
|
GGGI and OC Staff to Attend INC-4 In Ottawa, Canada
GGGI’s Policy Specialist, Hannah Pragnell-Raasch, will join Ocean Conservancy’s delegation at the upcoming 4th Session of the International Negotiating Committee (INC-4) taking place in Ottawa, Canada, April 23rd - 29th. We will be participating in a number of side events taking place in the margins of the negotiations to continue to elevate the issue of ALDFG and the need for including provisions in the ILBI as well as highlighting the importance of partnerships, cooperation and coordination for measures to be effective. We will also continue to work with member states directly providing technical guidance and expertise.
Last month, Hannah was invited as a guest panelist in the Friends of Ocean Action Agenda’s (FOAA) webinar series, enhancing multi-stakeholder action: opportunities for an action agenda under the future plastic pollution agreement hosted by the Governments of Samoa, the United States, Norway, Sweden and Chile. We shared perspectives of how a multi-stakeholder action agenda could help underpin and ensure meaningful provisions across the full life cycle of plastic fishing and aquaculture gear are included in the ILBI to prevent the occurrence of ALDFG and as such, prevent plastic pollution.
Additionally, we have been reviewing the options for ALDFG proposed in the revised zero draft text (rZDT) with partners and member states alike in order to coordinate support and help ensure the strongest and most ambitious provisions are included in the text when negotiated during INC-4.
|
|
|
GGGI Membership Specialist Caitie Frenkel Presents on Ghost Gear in Seattle, WA
On March 3-7, 2024, GGGI Associate Director, Joel Baziuk, and GGGI Membership Specialist, Caitie Frenkel attended the World Fisheries Congress (WFC), held in Seattle, Washington. The WFC is held every four years and is organized by the World Council of Fisheries Societies to allow delegates from around the world to meet to exchange ideas about new research, emerging issues, scientific breakthroughs, and governance related to fisheries science, industry, conservation, and management.
Caitie presented her MSc research on commercial fishing gear loss in Canada’s Pacific coast, reporting on predictive modeling and ghost gear found near British Columbia’s coastline. She also participated on a panel with four other experts to discuss why and how fishing gear is lost in our oceans.
|
|
|
|
PESCA ABC Removes 10.3 Tons of Ghost Gear in San Felipe
Pesca ABC, a GGGI partner removed a total of 10.3 tons of fishing nets from land and waters near the small town of San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, known for being the home of the vaquita, the world’s smallest porpoise species and most endangered marine mammal. Pesca ABC is a grassroots organization based in San Felipe, who awarded cash prizes for six local community winner teams who collected the largest amount of end-of-life fishing gear. In addition, ghost gear was removed from the water by local fishers that were specifically trained and PADI certified in ghost gear removal in the Sea of Cortes.
The collected and clean nets are now being shredded and will be recycled into other products.
|
|
|
Marine Debris Foundation Grants Available to US Partners
The Marine Debris Foundation (MDF) invites proposals for up to $25,000 from organizations whose work is dedicated to marine debris prevention. Qualified organization must be based in the US and must be able to spend the entirety of the grant funds by September 30, 2024 and provide a final narrative and financial report by October 31, 2024. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2024. Thank you!
|
|
|
Join GGGI Expert Advisory Council
GGGI relies on its Expert Advisory Council (EAC) to provide valuable input on our work around the globe. The GGGI EAC are made up of a diverse group of individuals whose experience and perspectives help guide GGGI’s efforts across the globe. We are currently soliciting applications for new members of the committee.. For additional details on working with the EAC or the application process, please reach out to GGGI Senior Program Manager, Jackie McGarry (jmcgarry@oceanconservancy.org). We look forward to working with you!
|
|
|
New GGGI Website Launched at ghostgear.org
At last, the much anticipated redesign of GGGI’s ghostgear.org website has landed! The new site includes user-friendly navigation to showcase GGGI projects, members, small grants, news and resources, as well as links to our Ghost Gear Reporter App and the GGGI Data Portal. Many thanks to web designer Tom Collver for his hard work on the site redesign.
|
|
|
|
Welcome to our new GGGI members!
|
|
|
|
We Want To Hear From You!
We're always looking to promote the various stories and successes of our GGGI Members! If you have something ghost gear related that you would like us to put in our newsletter, please email GGGI Coordinator, Laura Walker at lwalker@oceanconservancy.org.
Thanks so much for your support for the GGGI!
|
|
|
|
|
|
