Divers from the German nature conservation organisation "Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine e. V." (GRD) say they have recovered several hundred kilograms of old fishing nets from the Baltic Sea in recent weeks.
Crime scene: Fairway buoy
A fairway buoy had sunk about eight kilometres off Rügen years ago. As a result, more and more so-called ghost nets became entangled in it. The tangles of nets and ropes now weighed several tonnes and could be retrieved from a depth of around 30 metres using lifting bags. However, due to the cramped situation at the buoy and the increasingly rough weather, it was not possible to retrieve all the nets. The operation will therefore be continued in the spring.
Infographic: Effects of ghost nets. Source: WWF-Germany
Infographic: Solutions for ghost nets. Source: WWF-Germany
Plastic waste
These ghost nets, mainly made of plastic, are dangerous for all marine life, according to the Munich-based GRD. Fish or even turtles that get caught in them die an agonising death. According to the GRD, it has recovered more than ten tonnes of ghost nets from the Baltic Sea since 2019, although around 10,000 nets and net parts are added every year, according to a GRD spokesperson.
Solutions
According to WWF experts, the coastal countries should join forces and make the recovery of plastic waste and old fishing nets a government task. Otherwise it will probably come to nothing...
Source: Nordkurier, WWF-Germany
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