GHOST FISHING UK
to catch fish based on size – but if lost, they catch indiscriminately. The trapped fish attract scavengers, which also get caught: we find nets full of dead crabs and lobsters.’ The cycle continues, as the crustaceans can attract larger animals such as seals, birds, dolphins and whales – which may also be entangled and killed. And as well as threatening marine wildlife, ghost gear is a major contributor to the ocean plastics crisis. ‘Those abandoned lines and nets never go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic,’ says Phoebe. They also pose a hazard to boaters, says Phil
Horton, RYA Environment and Sustainability Manager. ‘Incidents of nets or lines getting caught on boats are very worrying,’ he explains, ‘and untangling them can be dangerous, especially if they’re wrapped around critical parts such as a propeller.’ Phil experienced this in the Channel Islands, when his boat became entangled in nylon. ‘Boaters might not see ghost gear until it’s too late,’ he continues, ‘another reason why the charity’s work is invaluable.’ Fishing gear isn’t the charity’s only target:
it also recovers parts that have accidentally fallen from boats: ‘whether outboard motors, paddles, anchors or oar locks,’ Fred lists. ‘We recycle, return, repurpose or reuse every scrap.’
Across the country Ghost Fishing UK was founded in 2015 by technical diving instructor Richard Walker. After joining a project in Croatia to clean up a shipwreck, Walker was inspired to gather his own UK dive team to try the same in Scapa Flow, Orkney – and has never looked back.
rya.org.uk SUMMER 2025 49
Today the organisation has grown to a roster of 96 volunteer divers and operates throughout UK waters in locations such as Brighton, Plymouth, Shetland and Cornwall. It runs recovery dives twice a month during summer, as well as longer trips in hard-to-reach areas, and emergency ones if there’s immediate threat to marine life.
The entire operation is staffed by volunteers,
though the charity pays to charter boats for every trip (‘We want to support local businesses,’ says Fred) – but it relies solely on donations and fundraising to do so. Large charters for 12-plus crew are usually required to accommodate the divers and recovered gear, so the cost quickly adds up. ‘Though in turn, the operators often re-donate some, or all, of their fee back to us. They appreciate what we’re doing and want to support us.’ The charity’s mission strongly aligns with the RYA’s goals, says Phil. ‘Ghost gear directly
Above left:
In Shetland, Andy Rath and Rich Walker work with the pink lifting bags used to lift ˦˧ Ѓ˦˛˜˚ ˚˘˔˥ to the surface. Above right: Dr Phoebe Hudson is a volunteer diver alongside working on her PhD in
oceanography. Below: Cha
Power, Fred Nunn and Harvey Nowak-Green in Dunoon, Scotland for a recovery dive.
Photos: Jason Coles/Phoebe Hudson
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