Marine Life & Conservation
Monster ghost net removed from popular Plymouth reef
A lost fishing net 200 metres long has been removed from the popular diving and fishing reef ‘Hand Deeps’ in Plymouth, by the ocean conservation charity Ghost Fishing UK.
A team of ten volunteer scuba divers belonging to the ocean conservation charity Ghost Fishing UK have been back in action after being kept away for months by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Christine Grosart/Ghost Fishing UK
They responded this week to reports from scuba divers belonging to Plymouth Sound Sub Aqua Club among others, to locate and survey the huge net, before making a plan to remove it.
Lost or abandoned fishing gear is problematic in our oceans, with an estimated 640,000 tonnes lost into the sea globally each year.
The lost nets and pots known as ‘Ghost Gear’ continue fishing non-stop. The catch is never landed and the trapped animals act as bait for others, in a non-stop cycle of wasteful deaths known as Ghost Fishing.
The team brought the net back on board the diving vessel Seeker before painstakingly unpicking 115 trapped animals from the net and returning them to the sea.
Christine Grosart/Ghost Fishing UK
Most animals were still alive and included spider crabs, lobsters, edible crabs and a large pollack.
Despite the scorching weather and requirement for face coverings and diligent hygiene on board, the team spent two hours following two dives freeing the animals.
“We are so pleased to be able to get back out doing such important work, even in times like these” Christine Grosart told us. She is a trustee of the charity, an instructor for the Ghost Fishing UK course and photographer. “This net is huge but on reefs, it is sometimes very difficult to pinpoint exactly where the ghost gear is. Fortunately, we had excellent information from several reports and with good coordinates we were able to find it within 8 minutes.
It is extremely rewarding not just to recover such a huge net, but to release 115 animals back into the sea, the majority of which were still alive and kicking. Covid-19 set us back with our new recruits but over the last 5 days we have been able to bring several of our newly trained divers out on their qualifying ‘live’ dives and continue building our amazing team.”
The volunteers began their mission last weekend in Portland, Dorset and over two days recovered a dozen lost pots as well as other detritus. They then moved on to Lyme Regis and were able to recover large pots and return them to their owners, still in good condition.
One of the pots contained a live conger eel that was trapped in the netting within the cage.
Christine Grosart/Ghost Fishing UK
James Balouza from In Deep Dive Centre, Plymouth, skippered the boat over 2 days and is a big supporter of the charity which is made up entirely of volunteers.
“Being able to support Ghost Fishing UK with logistics for their diving operation as well as to assist with the removal of the net from Hand Deeps was incredibly rewarding and also of prior importance to maintain the health of the reef. Hand Deeps is one of the most biodiverse reefs that we regularly dive and as such is a very popular spot for our customers. Ghost nets, such as the one recovered this week pose a threat to a vast array of marine life. Their swift and effective removal significantly decreases the impact to the marine environment and industries that depend on the health of our coast.”
Ghost fishing UK encourages divers and fisheries alike to tell them when and where nets and pots have been lost. ‘Live’ and active fishing gear is never touched and the charity is fully licensed for their unpaid work.
Local scuba diver Christine Ingram, from Plymouth Sound SAC Dive Club, among several others, reported the large fishing net to Ghost Fishing UK after coming across it during a club dive on the reef Hand Deeps. The net was strewn across two pinnacles at approximately 20-30m deep trapping all sorts of marine animals. Christine said: “It was quite shocking to see how much damage these nets cause and I felt I had to report it straight away. “
Ghost Fishing UK is dependent on volunteers to give up their time for the charity to continue this important work and aims to work closely with the fishing industry. If fisheries are able to inform the volunteers when nets and pots are lost, they are able to respond much quicker. In some cases, they can return the gear to its owners.
To help support this unique and specialist charity, please consider making a small monthly donation at www.ghostfishing.co.uk/donate
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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