'Ghost Fishing' divers remove old nets that kill fish
Fishing nets left behind in the sea twist and tangle, trapping fish and killing dolphins, sea lions, and other marine mammals.
a global network of highly skilled volunteer divers, is working hard to clean up the underwater mess caused by abandoned fishing nets.
鈥淚t is very important to show the world how big the problem is that we are talking about,鈥� says Pascal van Erp, founder of Ghost Fishing, which is based in the Netherlands. 鈥淭here are lots of nets out in the oceans. For years, nobody cared about it.鈥�
Mr. van Erp leads a team of 30 to 40 volunteer divers in the North Sea.
鈥淚n the last three years, we have made 100 dives and removed 10 tons of fishing gear from the sea,鈥� he says. The nets are then recycled into socks and other textiles.
The vagaries of nature and fundraising pose challenges for the volunteer groups that make up Ghost Fishing. Mr. van Erp says that because of the North Sea鈥檚 strong waves, he and his volunteers can do the deep dives only from May to September.
Each dive costs between $2,000 and $2,700. So far, the North Sea group鈥檚 only source of support has come from the Dutch government: $530,400 from a pool created by the sale of lottery tickets.
And the work is dangerous.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the most difficult type of diving I鈥檝e ever done,鈥� says Heather Hamza, one of roughly 50 volunteer divers who make up Los Angeles Underwater Explorers.
Divers have to deal with silt limiting their visibility and the possibility of getting snared in the old nets. Perhaps the most serious threat: If divers get tangled in the lift bags they use to carry old nets to the surface, they could rocket out of the water too fast and become very ill or even die.
That鈥檚 why her Ghost Fishing-affiliated organization, which dives off southern California coasts, solicits help only from divers with advanced, almost military-like training.
The pace of progress can be frustrating.
鈥淪ometimes I feel like I鈥檓 cleaning the beach with a teaspoon,鈥� Ms. Hamza says.
Her group is pushing to pass a state law that would require fishing vessels to report lost nets immediately.
鈥淚f you can find these nets right away, it鈥檚 so much easier to clean up,鈥� she says.
鈥� originally appeared on the website of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
