Veracruz PVEM pushes legislation to combat ghost fishing nets

The legislative group of Mexico's Green Ecologist Party (PVEM) presented a bill to update the state's Sustainable Fishing and Aquaculture Law, aiming to tackle the problem of "ghost fishing" – abandoned nets and gear that continue to capture marine life. Deputy Roxana Barragán Hernández introduced the initiative during the third session of the second recess, highlighting that about 640 000 tonnes of fishing gear are lost or abandoned each year, accounting for roughly 46 % of the plastic mass in the Pacific garbage patch.

The proposal calls for the State Program for Sustainable Fisheries to incorporate a component focused on prevention, recovery, training, voluntary reporting, data gathering and coordination with authorities. Recovered gear would be subject to environmental and waste legislation, with the Secretariat of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries (Sedarpa) promoting sector participation while recycling, treatment and disposal would be handled by authorized environmental providers.

If adopted, the measures would seek to reduce marine pollution, protect breeding zones, safeguard vessels and fishing communities, and promote the recycling of nylon and polypropylene nets that can persist for decades.