Volunteers discovered a gruesome scene of trapped, deceased wildlife in a large mess of abandoned fishing nets and fishing gear underwater at the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park in Plymouth, England, BBC reported.
The large entangled mess, caught on underwater rocks and kelp, took the volunteer group over five hours to remove.
What's happening?
In late April, Fathoms Free, a U.K. volunteer marine conservation group, received concerning reports from the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, as well as members of the public, about a concentrated mass of ghost fishing gear (abandoned fishing gear) in the Plymouth Sound.
When their volunteers set out to retrieve and remove the mess from the water, they discovered that the underwater net was more massive than expected. According to the BBC report, the menacing net spanned 1,300 feet long — the length of just over four standard American football fields.
In this mess, the volunteers discovered trapped, deceased, and decomposing marine life, including dozens of lobsters, spider crabs, cat sharks, bull huss sharks, and wrasse fish, as well as sea birds that got caught diving for the trapped fish.
"It was honestly one of the worst ones we've done in quite a long time," said Luke Bullus, Diving Officer and Trustee for Fathoms Free, per BBC.
Why is marine litter concerning?
Ghost fishing gear, or abandoned fishing nets and fishing gear, may be out of sight and out of mind for the fishermen and commercial fisheries that use them. Still, they pose a great danger to both human health and marine life.
Abandoned plastic fishing gear contributes to ocean pollution, which includes plastic bags, bottles, and other plastic debris. These break down into microplastics that contaminate the ocean water and are ingested by marine life.
Research has found that coastal communities have higher incidences of disability, potentially influenced by increased microplastic exposure from the water and seafood diet.
When marine litter is trapped in matted nets of abandoned fishing gear, it can suffocate trapped fish and other marine life that accidentally swim into the mess, effectively sealing their fates.
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Definitely 👍 One diver and ecotourism leader in Hawai'i ranted to social media after stumbling across ghost fishing gear in Hawai'i's beautiful waters. The patch of abandoned gear was too heavy for her group to remove, so they had to call on additional help from the appropriate authorities.
What is being done about ghost fishing gear?
Plenty of volunteer organizations similar to Fathoms Free hold beach cleanup events to help clean up litter from the beach and the oceans. If you have some extra time and want to clean up your community, find local climate groups in your area and spend the day beautifying your corner of the planet.
A notable collaboration between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the World Surf League introduced a Nets for Change initiative that helped repurpose abandoned fishing nets retrieved off the Brazilian coast into basketball nets used on basketball courts in Brazil.
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