Picking Out Silent Ghosts In The Deep

Diver-activists are removing abandoned or lost fishing nets that trap sea life

- Aswathi Pacha

It's a lazy Sunday morning, but not for Suneha Jagannathan. With over 3 kg of diving gear, she is out on a mission — to collect 'ghost nets'.

Diving to depths of 30-50 m, Ms. Jagannathan, CEO of Puducherry based Temple Reef Foundation (TRF), helps contain a growing and insufficiently studied threat to marine ecosystems.

Ghost nets are classified under Abandoned, Lost or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG), which includes lines, traps, hooks, dredges and buoys.

Ghost nets can kill marine wildlife, including vulnerable species, and destroy the benthic ecosystems that exist at the lowest level of a body of water. The problem has been worsening with the global expansion in fishing operations, and the availability of more durable gear.

High quality synthetic nets can last in the oceans for centuries, and lead to monopolistic ingestion by aquatic life.

A 2010 Marine Fisheries Census by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) said there were about 1,30,000 gill nets and drift nets in operation in India.

Research needed