Combating Abandoned, Lost, andOtherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) Public Disclosure Authorized © 2024 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NWWashington DC 2043Telephone: 202-473-1000Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpre-tations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank,its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the data included in thiswork and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information,or liability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods, processes, or conclusionsset forth. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this workdo not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory orthe endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of theprivileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination ofits knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long asfull attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World BankPublications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625;e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSACRONYMSGLOSSARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.INTRODUCTION 2.SOLUTIONS ACROSS THE FISHING GEAR LIFE CYCLE Design and Production Stage8Designing fishing gear to prevent ALDFG8Designing fishing gear to mitigate harmful effects of ALDFG9Designing fishing gear to aid in the remediation/retrieval of ALDFG10 Usage Stage11Preventing ALDFG at the usage stage11Mitigating ALDFG at the usage stage14Remediating ALDFG at the usage stage15 End-of-Life StagePreventing ALDFG at the EOL stageMitigating ALDFG at the EOL stageRemediating ALDFG at the EOL stage 3.EXISTING INITIATIVES AND POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES21 4. KEY CONSIDERATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ILBI 27 Key considerationsHarmonizationCollaborationRegulatory measuresStandards developmentCircularityFinancing Implications of the international legally binding instrument in addressing ALDFG30 FURTHER READING 34 REFERENCES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Causes (in black) and drivers (in blue) of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear6Figure 2. Pathway to ALDFG management solutions7Figure 3. Waste management hierarchy for EOL fishing gear16Figure 4. Timeline of global agreements, conventions, and resolutions related tomarine plastic pollution and ALDFG22 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Actions to prevent, mitigate, and remediate harmful effects of ALDFG at eachstage of the fishing gear life cycle ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was led by a World Bank team, including Anjali Acharya, Joan Drinkwin, Catalina Asian, MilagrosAime, and Jiyoun Christina Chang. The team extends its gratitude to the following contributors: Axel Borchmann (Federal Ministry for theEnvironment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of Germany), Gabriela CatharinaYlva Kossmann (Norweigian Agency for Development Cooperation), Amparo Perez Roda, Kelsey Richardson(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), Janaka De Silva, Lynn Sorrentino (IUCN), Dr.Andrea Stolte, Emeline Pluchon, Stefania Campogianni, Nadia Balducci (World Wild Fund for Nature),Sebastian Mathew (International Collective in Support of Fishworkers), Felipe Victoria, Joel Baziuk, IngridGiskes, Hannah Pragnell-Raasch (Ocean Conservancy’s Global Ghost Gear Initiative), Henrique Pacini, DavidVivas Eugui, Glen Wilson (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development). The team is also grateful to Milen F. Dyoulgerov, Joseph Ese Akpokodje, Özgül Calicioglu, and Hanna Prag-nell-Raasch for providing valuable feedback. The report was carried out under the guidance of Valerie Hickey (Global Director), Christian Peter (PracticeManager), and Genevieve Connors (Practice Manager). Funding for this report was provided by PROBLUE, an umbrella multi-donor trust fund, administered bythe World Bank that supports the sustainable and integrated development of marine and coastal resourcesin healthy oceans. ACRONYMS ALDFGBMUV COBSEAEOLEPRFADFAOFCDOGESAMP PPPolypropylenePUPolyurethaneRFIDRadio frequency identificationRFMORegional Fishery Management OrganizationSIDSSmall Island Developing StatesSMEPSustainable Manufacturing and Environmental PollutionUN Trade andDevelopmentUnited Nations Trade and DevelopmentUNEAUnited Nations E