Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada

What Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada does

Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada (FGCAC) is a not-for-profit coalition incorporated in 2020 under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, operating from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The organization develops and delivers programs for end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear management across Atlantic Canada and Québec, addressing the waste-management crisis created by decades of virgin-plastic gear use without closed-loop product life cycles. Its core offering is the End-of-Life Fishing Gear Management Program, a closed-loop circular-economy system that collects wire lobster traps, steel crab pots, plastic rope, and netting from 26 designated collection depots and channels the materials through a network of seven partner processors (including American Iron & Metal for metals and PLASTIX A/S for plastics), with cumulative throughput exceeding 3,800 tonnes since 2020.

FGCAC's flagship technology is its Product Stewardship Program — an extended-producer-responsibility model that embeds a fee at the point of purchase of original gear to cover transportation and processing costs at end-of-life. The program is being rolled out across three stages: Research and Development (April 2021 – March 2024), Province-wide Pilot (April 2024 – March 2025), and Full Implementation (April 2025 onwards). Supporting services include the Hotspot Mapping & Gear Retrieval Action Team, the Recycling Action Team, the Nova Scotia Marine Debris Clean-Up Program Support, the Small Craft Harbours Research and Education Pilot, and the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation End-of-Life Gear project.

The business model is grant-funded: revenue is sourced from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ghost Gear Fund (the primary anchor), the Government of Canada, the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, WWF-Canada (with Loblaw Companies Limited support), Clean Foundation, and PLASTIX A/S. FGCAC has no commercial pricing model; member contributions and processor agreements underwrite service delivery. The coalition is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Brad Skinner and co-led day-to-day by Co-Executive Directors Marquita Davis (internal operations) and Sonia Smith (external relations), with a core staff of 1-10 supported by 50+ dedicated member organizations and 130+ project partners.

Name

Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada

Legal name

Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada

Website

https://fgcac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada is a not-for-profit coalition that operates a closed-loop collection-and-recycling network for end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear across Atlantic Canada and Québec, serving commercial fish harvesters, harbour authorities, Indigenous communities, and government funders through 26 depots and a forthcoming EPR-based Product Stewardship Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Waste Management Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMALAMAF

Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Packaging & Containers/Sustainable Packaging Solutions

SECONDARYEUAIANAF

Parts Harvesting & Component Reuse

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Resource Recovery & Circular Economy Services (Reuse, Take-back, Refurbishment)

SECONDARYIMAIAGAI

Marine & Coastal Remediation (Shoreline/Port Spill Cleanup)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Environmental & Hazardous Materials Services (Remediation/Asbestos/Spill Response)

Keywords

• End-of-life gear management
• Fishing gear recycling
• Ghost gear retrieval
• Marine debris collection
• Aquaculture stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: Primary funding from government organizations including Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ghost Gear Fund (DFO-GGF), Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Government of Canada.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Funding from organizations such as WWF-Canada (with support from Loblaw Companies Limited) and Clean Foundation. Special project funding from DFO Regional Office of Environmental Coordination (ROEC).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FGCAC develops and delivers programs for end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear management across Atlantic Canada and Québec. It operates a closed-loop circular economy system with a four-step flow: a fee is included at point of purchase of original gear, end-of-life gear is returned to designated collection depots at no additional cost, the original fee covers transportation and processing, and materials are recycled into new products. The organization coordinates a 26-site collection depot network and a partner processor ecosystem (including metal recyclers and plastic recyclers such as American Iron & Metal and Plastix A/S), recovering wire lobster traps, crab pots, plastic rope, and netting.

Product overview

The Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada (FGCAC) is a not-for-profit organization offering a portfolio of environmental management services focused on end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear. The core offering is the End-of-Life Fishing Gear Management Program, which implements a closed-loop circular economy system to collect, transport, and recycle fishing gear (wire lobster traps, steel crab pots, plastic rope, and netting) through partnered processors. The Product Stewardship Program applies extended producer responsibility principles with a three-stage implementation roadmap through 2025. Supporting services include the Hotspot Mapping & Gear Retrieval Action Team for mapping gear loss areas, the Recycling Action Team for identifying recycling opportunities, and the Nova Scotia Marine Debris Clean-Up Program Support. The organization produces regional reports and comprehensive studies on ALDFG, and has delivered collection services across 26 sites in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, processing over 3,800 tonnes of end-of-life gear since 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• End-of-Life Fishing Gear Management Program Comprehensive program for the removal and recycling of end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, operating a closed-loop circular economy system that collects gear from designated depots and transforms it into recycled materials through partnered processors (American Iron & Metal, Plastix A/S, PLAEX Building Systems Inc.).
• Product Stewardship Program (PVC-coated Wire Mesh, Rope, and Netting) Closed-loop product stewardship program implementing extended producer responsibility principles, with fees incorporated at point of purchase to cover transportation and recycling costs for end-of-life gear. Three-stage implementation: Research and Development (April 2021 – March 2024), Province-wide Pilot (April 2024 – March 2025), and Full Implementation (April 2025 onwards).
• Hotspot Mapping & Gear Retrieval Service Action team focused on enhancing efficiency, efficacy, and safety at-sea by refining and expanding hotspot maps (gear loss areas) in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to increase retrieval efforts and establish safety best practices.
• Recycling Action Team Service Action team dedicated to identifying end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear recyclers and solving recycling challenges to support responsible management needs in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
• Nova Scotia Marine Debris Clean-Up Program Support Project supporting the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture's Marine Debris Clean-up Program, providing coordination, education, data collection, and responsible disposal/recycling of collected materials across five shoreline cleanups.
• End-of-Life Fishing Gear Management (2023-2024) Hurricane recovery initiative funded by DFO Ghost Gear Fund, providing collection and recycling services for PVC-coated wire mesh gear and plastic rope/netting across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, and Southwestern Newfoundland, with 25 collection sites and 130+ organizational partnerships.
• Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation End-of-Life Fishing Gear Disposal Education and Gear Testing Partnership with Merinov providing waste management education, alternative material research, and infrastructure gap analysis for the Listuguj First Nation Community to prevent gear loss and improve non-hazardous waste management.
• Marine Plastics Waste Management Research and Education Pilot Research and education pilot covering nine Small Craft Harbours in the Maritimes and Gulf Regions, funded by DFO's Regional Office of Environmental Coordination (ROEC).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,800 tonnes of end-of-life fishing gear collected and recycled since 2020
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ocean Legacy FoundationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Partnered with Coastal Action to process 52.43 tonnes of plastics (3.7% of total recycled in 2023-2024 project). Ocean Legacy is a non-profit pioneering an EPIC Plastic Pollution Emergency Response program.
• MerinovcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered with FGCAC to provide the Listuguj First Nation Community with comprehensive waste management solutions. Conducts research to identify infrastructural gaps and opportunities to improve waste collection and recycling within the community.
• Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023First Nation community receiving education and waste management services. FGCAC aims to advance DFO's goals and all five goals of the Ocean Plastics Charter through this partnership.
• American Iron & MetalcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Primary metal recycler partner for the End-of-Life Fishing Gear Management Program. Processed 849.14 tonnes of wire lobster traps and steel crab pots (59.6% of total recycled in 2023-2024 project).
• PLASTIX A/ScoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Danish clean-tech recycling company and primary plastic recycler partner. Specialized in converting fibers (fishnets, trawls, ropes) into high-grade Green Plastic raw materials. Processed 493.14 tonnes of plastic rope and netting (34.6% of total recycled in 2023-2024 project). Also a funder.
• PLAEX Building Systems Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Building systems company that processes recycled fishing gear materials as part of the circular economy solution for end-of-life fishing and aquaculture gear.
• Huntsman Marine Science CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Member organization of FGCAC, contributing expertise in marine science to support the coalition's mission.
• Coastal ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Member organization and implementation partner. Partnered with Ocean Legacy Foundation for plastics recycling in the 2023-2024 project.
• Marine InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Member organization contributing expertise in marine research and development.
• ifaw (International Fund for Animal Welfare)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Member organization. Director of Wildlife Campaigns serves on FGCAC Board of Directors. Supports marine plastic debris and ghost gear removal efforts and North Atlantic Right Whale protection.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Merinov: A Québec-based aquaculture and fisheries research centre partnering with FGCAC on waste management solutions for First Nations communities. Overlaps in the aquaculture gear and circular economy space but is primarily a research institution rather than service operator.
• Coastal Action: A Nova Scotia-based environmental non-profit and FGCAC member organization that partners on plastics recycling for end-of-life gear. Operates in overlapping geography and serves similar coastal communities, but with broader environmental mandate.

Broad incumbents

• WWF-Canada: A major environmental NGO with a broad conservation mandate that funded FGCAC's 2020 ghost gear report. Overlapping interest in marine debris and ghost gear but operates across many issue areas rather than specializing in gear management.
• Ocean Conservancy: A leading U.S. ocean conservation non-profit with international coastal cleanup and ghost gear initiatives. Comparable mission on marine debris, but part of a much broader ocean advocacy portfolio.
• Clean Foundation: A Nova Scotia-based environmental non-profit that hosted the Clean Ocean Summits that led to FGCAC's formation. Operates a broader portfolio of environmental programs (waste, energy, water) with fishing gear management as one initiative within a wider mandate.

Direct peers

• Global Ghost Gear Initiative: An international alliance of stakeholders addressing abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) globally. Directly comparable to FGCAC's mission on ghost gear and end-of-life fishing gear management, but operating at a global coordination level rather than regionally.
• Bureo: A for-profit company that recycles end-of-life fishing nets into consumer products (skateboards, sunglasses). Closely comparable to FGCAC's mission of giving end-of-life fishing gear a second life through recycling, but operates commercially on a global basis.
• Healthy Seas: An international foundation that recovers ghost fishing nets from the sea and partners with recyclers to turn them into yarn and textiles. Operates a comparable take-back and recycling program for end-of-life fishing gear, with similar mission alignment to FGCAC.
• Ocean Legacy Foundation: A Canadian non-profit pioneering the EPIC Plastic Pollution Emergency Response program for ocean plastic cleanup and recycling. Direct implementation partner with FGCAC and operates comparable end-of-life fishing gear and ocean plastic recycling programs in coastal Canada.
• Net Your Problem: A U.S.-based non-profit that facilitates collection and recycling of end-of-life fishing gear from commercial fishers across North America. Directly comparable to FGCAC's recycling/collection model, though operating in different geographies (Pacific Northwest, Alaska).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FishingGearCoalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fgcac
• Instagraminstagram.com/fgcac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada