Once hooked on the line, they are ensnared in the gear and soon drown. Other fishing practices can also incur large amounts of bycatch. Trawling can drown turtles that get caught in nets. Gillnets are staked to the ocean ...
Some kinds of fishing gear can be even more destructive when they become lost or forgotten in the water because they continue to catch animals, a phenomenon known as “ghost fishing.” This is particularly wasteful and destructive because the gear can ensnare tons of animals that aren't being harvested or used in any way. Fishing piers can be sites of ghost fishing as lures and lines become wrapped around pilings, where animals swimming by become trapped.<span>Fish are not the only victims, however, as birds that dive into the water for prey can also get caught in the lines when they enter the water.</span>
