GHOST FISHING UK
“Sometimes we’re able to return gear to the people who lost it”
impacts both biodiversity and pollution, which are pillars of our own sustainability strategy,’ he explains. ‘We’re exploring the circular economy in recreational boating, working on initiatives like recycling neoprene and sails, and how best to deal with end-of-life boats. Clean and healthy seas are absolutely vital and anything an organisation is doing to improve the marine environment is hugely important.’
Worldwide web
Of course, ghost gear isn’t just a UK problem. The UN estimates that 640,000 tonnes of ghost nets alone enter the world’s oceans each year – a statistic that ‘puts things into perspective when you work so hard to recover just a few tonnes,’ says Phoebe with a sigh. But for the volunteer members of Ghost
Fishing UK – of which Fred is operations officer, a trustee and founding member – this is a vocation. From that ‘monster’ in the Clyde, the team recovered 60 pots and hundreds of metres of ropes over several days, as well as rescuing nearly 3,000 crabs and fish that had become trapped in the unbaited creels. ‘It was our biggest recovery,’ says Fred, ‘exhausting, but we were euphoric to have cleaned up that mess.’ To date, the charity has retrieved 11,500kg of ghost gear across more than 160 projects, including around 400 pots and creels. The teams log everything that they recover.
‘We also record the marine life found trapped in the gear,’ says Fred, ‘and we maintain a “Critter
Above: Volunteer crew ready for a
job in Dunoon. Inset: Fred Nunn has done 300 ghost-gear dives.
Count” to track the marine life we rescue and free back into the water post recovery.’ The data is available for study by universities. Currently, a researcher from the University of Exeter is preparing a paper based on the charity’s data collected over the past ten years. Then they start sorting. ‘Sometimes we’re able to return gear to the people who lost it, which is ideal,’ says Phoebe. ‘Or other people might find a use for it, which is also great – anything that prolongs its life.’ If the gear can’t immediately be
rehomed, Fred transports it to his home in Cornwall, where it’s cleaned and
organised by volunteers, and then recycled or donated. The rest goes through the Ocean Recovery Project, where it’s shredded into
Below: Fred (left) and Andy Barber. They could also get caught up in ghost gear.
pellets that are used to make anything from sunglasses to flower pots, knife handles and even park benches. ‘We’re all so proud to be part of that process,’ explains Fred. ‘It’s a game-changer.’
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Report If you encounter ghost gear, flag it immediately via
ghostfishing.co.uk Donate The charity relies on donations and fundraising to make its dives happen. Join the team You don’t have to be a diver to volunteer. ‘We’re looking for a range of skills,’ says Fred, ‘anything from grant-writing and graphic design to assisting on the boats. And local marine knowledge is invaluable when we’re planning recovery trips.’
Photos: Jason Coles x 2
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