What happens to lobster traps when they're lost at sea, and how can underwater technology help us find them? Our new short documentary, The Hidden Catch: Locating and Mapping Ghost Gear, follows fieldwork conducted off the coast of Maine, USA, exploring how established underwater technologies are being used to locate, map, and investigate ghost fishing gear.
Combining side-scan sonar surveys with remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), the team mapped concentrations of lost lobster traps and used underwater cameras to investigate targets on the seafloor. The findings highlight the scale of the ghost gear problem and demonstrate how these technologies can help make future recovery operations more targeted and efficient.
