Marine Life & Conservation
Charity shocked to discover drowned sea birds caught in ghost nets
The ocean conservation charity Ghost Fishing UK discovered four drowned sea birds, identified as cormorants, caught up in a lost fishing net in Lyme Bay.
The charity of volunteer scuba divers responds to reports of lost fishing gear known as ‘ghost gear’ from divers and fishermen, by surveying and then removing the lost gear which continues to fish, unseen.
Cormorants are common diving birds that dive beneath the waves to catch their food, but unfortunately can succumb to getting tangled in fishing nets.
Lost fishing gear is a global problem, with an estimated 640,000 lost into the oceans each year. Locally, it can have a significant impact on the local wildlife, ocean habitats and it’s not just fish that succumb to the hidden threat.
Fred Nunn, trustee, and operations officer for the charity explains: “We received reports from Jessica Hannah at Teign dive Centre of a gill net across the wreck of the Galicia, so we quickly put a team together. We were worried about the weather being near the end of season, but we found the net and the trapped animals.”
The divers soon came across four dead cormorants. The diving sea birds were tangled in a lost gill net which was strewn across the breadth of the wreck. The divers also came across a trapped pollack and Ballan wrasse which were both still alive and freed from the net. Edible crabs and lobsters were among the trapped sea life and in total, 11 animals were freed but another 8 had died in the ghost net.
The charity raises money from public donations and campaigns to clean up lost fishing gear from UK waters. This year Ghost Fishing UK won the Sustainability Award at the Fishing News Awards in Aberdeen for their work and cooperation with the fishing community.
Trustee and diver Christine Grosart said: “We are slowly gaining the trust of the fishing community, but we still have a long way to go. Our charity is not anti-fishing, and we want the fishing community to prosper, whilst maintaining a healthy ecosystem. We encourage engagement from the fishermen, and we really want them to tell us when they lose nets like this, so that we can remove them from the sea much sooner and stop the ghost fishing cycle in its tracks”.
Ghost Fishing UK has an online reporting system for both divers and fishermen to report any losses which they can do anonymously.
“In the case of lost strings of pots, we can often get these back to their owners,” Christine explains. “But in the case of nets, these are often too badly damaged to be used again, so we get them recycled where we can.”
It is generally accepted that fishing gear is not lost deliberately and is often the result of storms, snags on the seabed or being run over by other vessels.
Fishermen can report any lost nets to the charity here: www.ghostfishing.co.uk/fishermans-reporting
Jessica Hannah from Teign Diving Centre was very happy to welcome the charity for their first mission on board Seaquest:
“The Galicia is one of our most regularly used dive sites and is full of life. It was heart-breaking to find a ghost net hanging over the wreck and entangling everything that crossed its path – a real killer of a net.” Said Hannah.
“Having Ghost Fishing UK out to clear this away, we’re so thankful for their help with this. Great to know the net can’t harm anything else down there, and we’re all so pleased to have had such a professional organisation to sort it out.”
You can follow the work of Ghost Fishing UK on their YouTube Channel, blogs and across all social media platforms. All donations to the charity go directly into paying for dive boats so the volunteers can continue cleaning up even more ghost gear.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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