Hotspot Mapping
About the Project
One of the biggest challenges in recovering lost gear from the ocean is locating it.
We have partnered with eOceans and the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada to locate marine debris, understand its impact on the environment and remove it from priority areas. By doing this, we give the opportunity to the marine ecosystem to restore and regenerate itself. This is a step towards protecting biodiversity and restoring their natural habitats.
eOceans is a citizen science activity tracker and observation logger, which can be used to tackle the challenge of finding and removing fishing gear out of our waters. We are working with the fishing industry, harbour authorities, community organizations, and marine scientists to locate, track and retrieve abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear. We know we need everyone on board to truly make a difference. By working together, we can build systems and solutions that take the waste out of Canadian waters, support the fishing community, and repurpose old nets into something new.
We believe eOceans has the potential to be Canada’s official net reporting tool.
How it works.
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Download
The eOceans app is FREE and available for both Android and iOS.
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Join the Team
Search for the Nets for Net Zero team and request to join. Your request will be approved within 24 hours.
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Log Observations
Log observations about lost gear, wildlife, and the environment. This works from anywhere in Canada, even out on the water with no connection!
Discover the eOceans tool
Our next steps
We are working with the fishing communities and associations, harbour authorities, and ship navigators to further understand how to create tools that work for them. We are consulting with marine biologists and marine debris scientists to create maps, identify hotspots, and develop strategies to improve the efficiency of locating and removing ghost gear.
We are currently seeking funding opportunities to ensure the tools we develop and deploy in the community are adapted to the needs of those using them, such as citizen scientists, fishing associations and government entities. We are working with all stakeholders to ensure, once removed and collected, the old gear has a recycling solution and is managed appropriately to minimize environmental impact. This is the first step in a Net Zero solution for fishing gear that ensures a regenerative cycle for materials and our oceans.
How you can help.
We currently depend on donations to raise the funds necessary to co-develop the App and put it the hands of coastal communities. Every bit helps!
