Since forming in November 2018, the Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada (FGCAC) has been working collaboratively on preventing and recovering end-of-life abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing and aquaculture gear and developing sustainable solutions to retrieve and recycle these materials. The FGCAC is a not-for-profit corporation under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. The Coalition is composed of over 30 members from various backgrounds including industry, government, indigenous communities, academia, and the public. While the FGCAC is composed primarily of members from Atlantic Canada there is also representation from across the country and the United States. The FGCAC works collaboratively on resource management, retrieval, communications, and research. The FGCAC has proven effective in laying the groundwork to fill these gaps, while working alongside government and industry, as well as other stakeholders and rights holders. The FGCAC holds monthly conference calls to share knowledge and keep all members informed of ongoing activities, with individual working groups focussed on specific areas of concern, such as responsible disposal, ALDFG hotspot mapping, and ALDFG retrieval logistics.
