Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Today, we have a question from Jakob. He’s a fifth-grader at Heights Elementary in Sharon, Massachusetts. He wants to know…
Jakob: Can we stop using driftnets?
We had Max Kozlov and Fatima Husain from our Possibly Team look into this. Welcome, Max and Fatima!
Max Kozlov: Hi, Megan!
Fatima Husain: Hello!
Megan Hall: So what exactly are driftnets?
Max Kozlov: Driftnets are large fishing nets that can be as long as 30 miles and stretch up to 100 feet below the ocean’s surface. In the US, they’re used to catch swordfish.
Fatima Husain: These nets have holes so that smaller marine life can pass through, but larger marine life gets caught.
Max Kozlov: It’s already illegal to use driftnets here in Rhode Island. In fact, California is the only place in the US where these nets are still legal.
Fatima Husain: Still, when we talked to Jakob, he was very concerned about these kinds of nets.
Jakob: I kind of like sea creatures, and so I wouldn’t want them all to die, so that’s why I wanted to learn how to stop fishing this way.
Megan Hall: So, what’s the problem with drift nets?
Max Kozlov: Even though these nets might catch swordfish, they also ensnare lots of unwanted marine life, or “bycatch.”
Fatima Husain: So animals like sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, stingrays — anything else bigger than the size of the mesh — can become caught in the net, which can injure or even kill them.
Max Kozlov: The US started regulating driftnets in 1987.
Fatima Husain: And in the 1990s, the United Nations banned driftnets in international waters. By the early 2000s, the European Union had banned them too.
Max Kozlov: Now, California is the last place in the US where these nets are legal.
Fatima Husain: To learn more about these nets, we spoke to Theresa Labriola. She’s the Pacific Program Director of Wild Oceans, a conservation group working to promote sustainable fishing.
Theresa: Nearly half of what is caught in the California swordfish drift gill net fishery is tossed overboard. So for every fish you keep you toss something back, and that’s just not a sustainable way to fish.
Max Kozlov: Depending on the season, as few as one in eight of the animals caught in these nets is actually a swordfish.
Megan Hall: So, is there something else people can use other than driftnets?
Max Kozlov: Yes, they can either use harpoons or something called deep-set buoy gear. We had Theresa walk us through how it works.
Theresa: Basically you take up to ten hooks and you drop them about a thousand feet deep and each hook or set of hooks has a buoy attached. When a swordfish takes in the bait, your buoy actually goes down similar to a bobber on a recreational fishing pole.
Fatima Husain: Then, they go to that buoy and reel in the thousand-foot line where there’s usually a swordfish hooked.
Max Kozlov: This kind of gear is typically used during the day and reeled in the moment it’s caught.
Fatima Husain: Theresa says with this technique, swordfish aren’t left to soak overnight in a driftnet. So, the fish is usually fresher when it arrives at the market and can sell for a higher price.
Megan Hall: And what do people in the fishing industry think about this gear?
Max Kozlov: Many people have already applied for a deep-set buoy gear permit. As part of a state law passed in 2018, California has been buying back driftnet permits to phase them out.
Fatima Husain: But not everyone is on board with getting rid of drift nets. Some say a full-out ban isn’t necessary because there’s been a sharp reduction in bycatch since the 1990s.
Megan Hall: Okay, so what can we all do about driftnets if they’re not used here on the East Coast?
Fatima Husain: Theresa says that, as consumers, we have a lot of power to support sustainable fisheries.
Max Kozlov: The next time you’re at your local fish market, you can ask how the fish was caught or use the “Seafood Watch App” to see where your fish comes from.
Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Max and Fatima!
That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly.
Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio.
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