Introduction to the Marine Policy special issue on abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear: Causes, magnitude, impacts, mitigation methods and priorities for monitoring and evidence-informed management

The rapid expansion of the global footprint of marine capture fisheries over recent decades, combined with the transition to synthetic and more durable materials used for fishing gear components, has resulted in increasingly problematic adverse ecological and socioeconomic effects from abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Adverse impacts include: ghost fishing; marine wildlife ingestion; distribution and transfer of toxins and microplastics into marine food webs; altered distributions and behavior of species that raft on or aggregate beneath floating ALDFG, including the transport of invasive non-native species and distribution of microalgae that cause harmful algal blooms. ALDFG also causes habitat degradation; obstruction and damage to maritime sectors such as from fouling marine vessels and damaging submarine cables and in-use fishing gear; and reduction of socioeconomic values of coastal areas. There has been growing recognition of the need for improved understanding and evidence-informed management of these adverse effects. The articles composing the Marine Policy special issue on ALDFG contribute to achieving this goal. The articles improve the understanding of key requirements for robust, effective ALDFG monitoring and management. This includes knowledge of ALDFG direct causes and underlying drivers, rates and magnitudes of production, composition, fate, ecological and socioeconomic impacts, and criteria for selecting fishery-specific management strategies, which we review in this introduction to the special issue.