How do we minimize incidental catch and its impact on marine ecosystems during cleanup operations?

Minimizing incidental catch — the unintended capture of fish or other marine animals — is a top priority in our cleanup efforts, as even low levels of incidental catch can negatively impact ecosystems. To address this, we implement several proactive measures throughout our operations to prevent such interactions. Our approach includes an environmental impact assessment for ocean operations and an environmental management plan tailored to the species identified as potentially vulnerable to the cleanup process.

Over the years, we have taken an adaptive management approach to our operations — integrating extensive technical and scientific learnings into our systems, and continually testing both existing and innovative solutions to minimize impact on marine life. This includes mitigation measures designed to detect, avoid, and deter animals from entering the system, facilitate their escape when possible, and actively remove them if escape is not feasible.

For instance, in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), we don’t solely rely on the system’s design to minimize incidental catch – we also plan our operations strategically. This includes actively operating away from areas known to contain sensitive species, such as loggerhead turtles, which are more commonly found in waters of certain temperature ranges as described in https://oceanwatch.pifsc.noaa.gov/turtlewatch.html.

All incidental catch is meticulously documented by onboard environmental observers, enabling us to track and monitor these events over time. We provide regular updates on our progress in reducing incidental catch, sharing data through environmental reports on System 002 and System 03. Additionally, environmental observers monitor the areas surrounding the cleanup system, helping detect and minimize impact to species during operations.

Our commitment to understanding the local environment extends beyond monitoring and incidental catch analysis, also including the movement of plastic and its interaction with marine life, which allows us to adjust our cleanup approach to enhance both efficiency and environmental responsibility. Furthermore, we report all relevant data to the Dutch Ministry as part of our commitment under the covenant, a formal agreement between the State of the Netherlands and The Ocean Cleanup concerning the deployment of systems designed to clean up plastic floating in the upper surface layer of the high seas.