Marine animals caught in active or derelict fishing gear — set nets, gill nets, longline trailers, lobster/crab pot lines, ghost gear. Distinct from bycatch (which covers intended-target fisheries).
Most affected
Large cetaceans with surface-feeding behavior or coastal migration:
entanglement scarring.
- Sea turtles — incidental wraps in longline gear.
Outcomes
Entanglement is rarely immediately fatal but causes chronic stress, reduced reproduction, infection, and slow drowning over weeks to months. Necropsy data suggest it accounts for 30–50% of large-whale anthropogenic mortality in some regions.