Require all fishing gear to be marked with an owner identification system, ensuring traceability and accountability.
Encourage hybrid marking solutions
Combine simple physical markings (e.g., engraved ID tags, printed labels) with cost-effective electronic tracking (e.g., RFID, QR codes, NFC tags) to enhance identification while keeping costs manageable.
Registration system for fishing gear
Develop a centralised digital registration system
Establish a mandatory national registry where fishing gear is recorded at the point of purchase and tracked throughout its lifecycle (usage, loss, retrieval, and disposal).
Ensure digital accessibility
The system should allow fishers and authorities to update it in real-time, improving data collection for better management, enforcement, and sustainability initiatives.
Lost gear reporting and retrieval
Mandate the reporting of lost gear
Implement clear and standardised reporting requirements for fishers to improve retrieval efforts and prevent ghost fishing.
Expand retrieval programmes
Strengthen or introduce annual gear recovery expeditions, ensuring lost gear is removed efficiently.
Enhance regional collaboration
Share best practices
Establish a Nordic collaboration platform to exchange knowledge on gear loss reporting, recycling pathways, and remote collection logistics.
Harmonise policies
Work towards standardising policies and regulations for EOLFG management across the Nordic countries to ensure consistency and efficiency.
Address fragment loss
Develop improved materials
Invest in research to develop fishing gear materials less likely to fragment during use, such as alternatives to dolly rope or changes to biodegradable materials for frequently lost gear parts.
Strengthen regulations
Implement or enhance legislation requiring less polluting materials in fishing gear to reduce microplastic and synthetic debris pollution in marine ecosystems.
Encourage cleaner practices
Promote methods to minimise the loss of small fragments during operations, repairs, and fishing gear maintenance.
Increase recycling capacity
Invest in local recycling facilities
Explore opportunities to establish regional recycling plants, especially in countries such as Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland in order to reduce export dependency.
Streamline material sorting
Improve infrastructure and technology for sorting materials at collection points to enhance recycling efficiency.
Support and incentivise fisher participation
Provide incentives
Introduce financial incentives or subsidies for fishers who return EOLFG to recycle or register gear loss responsibly.
Education and awareness
Conduct training and outreach programmes to educate fishers on the importance of EOLFG collection, recycling, and traceability.
Expand retrieval efforts
Organise retrieval missions
Implement regular missions to retrieve lost fishing gear at sea, especially in areas identified as hotspots for ghost gear accumulation.
Implement a cleanup fee
Introduce a fee on fishing gear sales or fishing licenses to fund retrieval efforts and cleanup initiatives. This approach ensures that those benefiting from marine resources contribute to maintaining clean and sustainable fishing grounds.
Monitor and map gear loss
Use existing technology, such as underwater drones with cameras and sonar (side-scan sonar), to map areas with high concentrations of lost gear for targeted retrieval efforts.
Promote a circular economy
Incentivise design innovation
Support the development of fishing gear that is easier to dismantle, recycle, or repurpose, such as single-material designs or biodegradable options.
Encourage reuse and repurposing
Foster markets for second-hand fishing gear or components such as nylon threads and other fibres, to reduce waste.
Enhance data collection and research
Quantify EOLFG impact
Conduct studies to estimate the amount of EOLFG generated, its environmental impact, and the effectiveness of current measures.
Standardise metrics
Develop consistent tracking and reporting frameworks across the Nordic region to monitor progress and guide policy improvements.