The relationship between “ghost gear” and phytoplankton’s ability to absorb carbon

Dr. Min Yang is exploring what lurks beneath our oceans.

She is studying the impact of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear. Also known as “ghost gear”, the problem is one of the biggest threats to marine environments.

The source of up to 70 percent of floating plastics in Canadian oceans, ghost gear becomes fragile after months or years of exposure to the sun and other natural elements, such as ocean waves.

It then releases additives and numerous microplastics into the water that are harmful to marine species, including phytoplankton.

“As the foundation of the marine food web, phytoplankton play a key role in global climate regulation by sequestering vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” said Dr. Yang.

Investigating the impacts of fishing gear-associated microplastics and additives on phytoplankton photosynthesis helps Dr. Yang understand how marine systems may progress in the future.

To help combat the issue, the Government of Canada has committed more than $26.7 million since 2020 to help better understand the transport and fate of ghost gear in oceans and its impact on marine species.

“With its high number of core fishing harbours, 257 to be exact, Newfoundland and Labrador has high potential for microplastics and additives to accumulate,” said Dr. Yang. “Memorial University is renowned worldwide for its marine studies, and I feel incredibly fortunate to continue my Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship here. The exceptional resources, expert faculty and supportive community at Memorial have provided an unparalleled environment for advancing my research and contributing to the field of environmental engineering.”

Dr. Yang’s research aims to improve understanding of how fishing gear turns into ghost gear-associated microplastics and plastic additives through the degradation process and how it influences carbon dioxide removal by affecting phytoplankton photosynthesis in the North Atlantic.

“This project will offer valuable insights to fishing industries, helping them understand the consequences of their practices, encouraging the adoption of sustainable fishery activities and contributing to ocean climate change mitigation,” she said.

Dr. Baiyu (Helen) Zhang, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and Canada Research Chair in coastal environmental engineering, is Dr. Yang’s doctoral supervisor.

Dr. Zhang says she and Dr. Yang share common research interests in coastal and marine environmental engineering, and their collaboration is unique in that it is based on experienced and diverse research backgrounds and specific local sources to accelerate real-world exploration.

“The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship offers me an unprecedented opportunity to partner with such an emerging young scholar,” Dr. Zhang said. “This collaboration and success will facilitate the mitigation of plastic and carbon dioxide in Canadian marine environments — two challenging topics in the field.”

Dr. Yang says the fellowship is a great opportunity.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Zhang, and my supervisory committee members, Drs. Bing Chen and Kenneth Lee, for their tremendous support, guidance and encouragement,” she said. “I would like to thank the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and Memorial University for their strongest support, which has been invaluable to my comprehensive development as a young researcher.”

This article was adapted and republished with permission from Memorial University.

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