Fathoms Free are a ghost gear recovery charity based in Cornwall whose volunteers recover ALDFG (Abandoned, Lost or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear) from the ocean before it can do further harm to marine life.

The latest research estimates that nearly 2% of all fishing gear put into our oceans becomes ghost gear every year. This includes 25 million pots and traps and 14 billion hooks. Enough nets are lost or discarded each year to cover Scotland and enough commercial fishing line is left in the ocean each year to stretch to the moon and back. Globally, this ghost gear causes suffering and death to millions of marine animals every year, including hundreds of thousands of marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and seals. We rely solely on the kind donations from our supporters to fund the boats and equipment needed to recover ghost gear. No one at Fathoms Free is paid for what they do - everyone is a volunteer and every penny goes towards clearing ghost gear from the sea.