Please join the IMarEST Marine Mammal Special Interest Group for a Webinar on the issue of ghost gear and marine debris as a global challenge for aquatic environments and marine fauna entanglements. We will discuss the GGGI’s, SEA and GNI’s global approaches to tackling this problem, which will be followed by a joint Q&A session with our speakers and hosts. This livestream is hosted by the Marine Mammals Special Interest Group Thursday 10 February 2022 | 14:00-15:00 GMTAbout the speakers: *About the speakers:* Joel Baziuk, GGGI - The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) is the world’s largest collective impact alliance dedicated to solving one of the most critical challenges facing our ocean today – that of ALDFG or “ghost gear”. ALDFG has been identified as the most harmful form of marine debris to marine biota, and recent estimates suggest it may account for as much as 70% of the floating macroplastic in the ocean gyres by weight, making it one of the most serious threats to aquatic biodiversity. The GGGI is a collaborative, cross-sectoral alliance of over 120 member organisations from the fishing industry, private sector, non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations, corporations, governments, and academia dedicated to tackling ALDFG at a global scale. Sarah Dolman, SEA - Launched on 1st June 2018, the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) is a partnership between six organisations dedicated to promoting and protecting Scotland’s wildlife heritage and sustainable marine industries. SEA will work closely with the Scottish inshore fishing industry to provide a coordinated, comprehensive monitoring and engagement programme to better understand the scale and impact of marine animal entanglements in our waters, and work towards developing strategies to reduce this threat. Dr Alex Loureiro, EnerGeo - The EnerGeo Alliance is the global trade association for the energy geoscience industry. EnerGeo members recognise that marine debris presents a serious global threat to marine life and maritime industries. In 2016, EnerGeo (then IAGC) members led the development of the Ghost Net & Marine Debris Removal Initiative (GNI), which encourages member companies to remove marine debris during survey operations and report the amount removed to a centralised reporting system. As of the end of 2020, members reported removing nearly 2.5 million pounds of debris. During survey operations, members occasionally encounter marine life entangled in debris. In 2021, EnerGeo developed a guidance document for survey crews to assist entangled marine life while maintaining human and animal safety. The guidance is publicly available to promote best practices within the energy geoscience industry and beyond. *About IMarEST Webinars:* IMarEST Certificate of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for attending. Join an optional post-event interactive networking session where you can meet other attendees. Watch live from desktop or mobile, and ask questions to participants. Exclusive on-demand access to the webinar for 1 month. Recordings then remain available to Institute members only in IMarEST TV , with online and offline access via desktop and mobile apps. Membership of the IMarEST is open to all, whether you are a student, just starting out in your career, an experienced professional or just someone who is interested in marine engineering, science or technology or our work. *To register please follow this link below:* https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-ghost-gear-marine-fauna-entanglement-... Kind regards Niru Dorrian Niru Neil Dorrian, BSc (Hons) CMarSci CSci FIMarEST Co - Founder & Marine Mammal Biologist Whalefish Mail: niru@whalefish.org Url: www.whalefish.org Cell: +44 (0)7888747719 *Connect - Share - Inspire*