Ghost gear sighting report

This form is to be used for reporting the sighting of abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), also known as ghost gear, in the marine and freshwater environments. This includes gear observed at sea or from shore, provided the sighting occurs in the marine or freshwater environments.

If there are multiple sightings of ghost gear at different coordinates, please submit a separate form for each sighting.

These reports are valuable to DFO‑authorized ALDFG retrieval effort and support broader ghost gear program planning, helping improve retrieval efficiency and reduce gear impacts on marine ecosystems.

Privacy notice statement

The information you provide is collected under the authority of the Fisheries Act (section 9.1(2) and 9.2) and the Fishery (General) Regulations (section 22.1) for the purpose of the proper management and control of fisheries under DFO jurisdiction, and through section 6 authorizations to retrieve and dispose of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear under the Wrecked and Abandoned Hazardous Vessels Act. The information may be used for compliance review, safety or security purposes, administration or enforcement of a law, the detection, prevention, or suppression of crime, and investigative purposes. Failure to provide this information may result in the suspension or cancellation of current licences and/or authorizations, and the denial of future requests for licences under the Fisheries (General) Regulations, or authorizations under the Wrecked and Abandoned Hazardous Vessels Act. You have the right to the correction of, access to, and protection of your personal information under the Privacy Act and to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada over DFO’s handling of your information. Personal information collected through the Fishing Gear Reporting System is described in the Personal Information Bank (PIB) MPO PPU 410 and DFO PPU 415.