Fiji, Oct. 27 -- The science is clear. Solutions exist. And resources are within reach.
Non-entangling and biodegradable fish aggregating devices (bio-FADs)-made from bamboo, hemp, cotton, and other organic materials-offer a sustainable, effective alternative to conventional drifting FADs.
There are real consequences to the continued use of conventional FADs made with plastic and synthetic materials, which can damage the marine ecosystem when lost or abandoned.
Fishers use FADs to harvest more than 38 percent of the tropical tuna catch, and between 19,000 and 40,000 FADs are deployed or re-deployed annually in the WCPO. It has been estimated that only 6 percent of FAD buoys in that region were retrieved from the ocean by purse seiners or...