Project ReCon
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Project ReCon
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Project ReCon is a world-first program by Tangaroa Blue Foundation that stops deadly ghost fishing gear from drifting, entangling wildlife, and killing for months or even years. The project repurposes satellite GPS buoys to track large, hard-to-recover ghost nets and lines so they don’t get lost again while a safe removal is coordinated.
How it works (and how to join)
Host a GPS buoy: If you’re a marine operator (e.g., commercial vessel, tourism operator, research boat, patrol/yacht), apply to host a GPS buoy on your vessel. After a short induction, a buoy is sent to you.
When you find ghost gear you can’t remove: Securely attach the buoy, record key details (location, date/time, gear type/size), and contact the Project ReCon team.
Live tracking & retrieval: The team begins satellite tracking immediately and coordinates recovery with the nearest capable responders. When the gear is removed, return the buoy so it can be redeployed.
Why it matters - Ghost nets are among the most damaging plastic debris to marine life. By making them trackable the moment they’re found, Project ReCon turns chance sightings into successful, documented recoveries.
WHAT
To track deadly ghost gear so it doesn’t get lost while recovery and removal is coordinated
HOW
Host and deploy a GPS buoy from your vessel to track ghost gear at sea.
WHERE (LAND)
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WHERE (SEA)
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GOOD TO KNOW
The project also engages with GPS buoys that wash ashore as debris from commercial fisheries—report finds so they can be recovered and repurposed.
RUN BY
Tangaroa Blue Foundation
SUITABLE FOR
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PARTICIPANT LOCATION
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PROJECT SOCIALS
“With our teams looking for ways to reuse and recycle international commercial fishing echosounder buoys retrieved from beach clean-ups along the Reef, it was very much a case of who ya gonna call”
says Heidi Tait, CEO of Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
