Retrieval of abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear through different retrieval modes and analysis of biota on the retrieved gear.

Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) contribute significantly to marine debris, and studies regarding this subject are getting coign of vantage worldwide. This study assessed ALDFG through retrieval exercises in three prominent fishing locations, viz., Enayam, Vizhinjam, and Kochi along the southwest coast of India. The retrieval of ALDFG was carried out by scuba diving, creeper/grapple retrieval, and a bottom trawling survey by covering an area of 1.1 km, 1.25 km, and 32 km, respectively, in the three study locations, Enayam, Vizhinjam, and Kochi. A total of 55.6 kg ALDFG were retrieved which mainly composed of whole or parts of lobster traps, trawl cod ends, fish traps, gillnets, long lines, head ropes/foot ropes, and squid jigs contributing 46, 25, 14, 9, 4, 2, and 0.5%, respectively, to the total retrieved gear. Lobster traps dominated the retrieved ALDFG. The scuba diving mode of retrieval was most effective in Enayam and Vizhinjam due to water clarity and suitable depth range. Bottom trawling was effective in Kochi as the trials were carried out in commercial trawling grounds, where concentrations of ALDFG were reported as bycatch in trawl operations. The creeper/grapple retrieval trial along the Kochi coast failed due to the design's incompetency for deep muddy ground at the test site. Overall, 670 organisms were attached/caught in the retrieved gear of which 62% were live and 38% were dead. Perna viridis (green mussel) was the dominant species among the three study sites. The traps retrieved from Enayam and Vizhinjam did not show any signs of ghost fishing but were in a state of initiating a new ecosystem for benthic organisms. The traps of Enayam were made of HDPE webbing which contributes to marine plastic pollution, while traps of Vizhinjam were made of natural materials. Other retrieved gear types also did not show any evidence of ghost fishing. However, the polyamide (PA) monofilament gillnets disrupted the benthic mussel bed and coral reef in Enayam and Vizhinjam, respectively, by covering the habitat and hindering the growth of organisms native to the habitat. This highlights the occurrence of ALDFG and its subsequent impact on the biota in the studied area. This study, covering a smaller area, points to the need for further extensive research in this direction for the responsible management of fishing gears along the Indian coast.