Charity divers recover 1,500kg of lost fishing gear
THE CHARITY which came to Shetland last week to retrieve lost fishing gear from the sea says it recovered 1,500kg of equipment.
This included a trawl net from the wreck of the sunken fishing boat Froach Ban, and many creels.
Ghost Fishing UK brought up 12 divers to Shetland following representation from fishermen primarily about abandoned gill nets.
They headed out to sea on the dive boat MV Valhalla.
Members of the public also helped out washing down items found at sea.
Speaking about the volunteer effort, Ghost Fishing UK’s Christine Grosart said: “I couldn’t believe it – they just turned up and set about pressure washing, sorting and bagging ropes, net and stacking pots. We clean the ropes because they are made of polypropylene and this can be recycled by our partner, Ocean Plastic Pots. All we needed was some help getting them back to the mainland.”
Two of those volunteers, Maggie and Simon Wilcox, said: “Beach cleaning at our home in Overstrand, Norfolk during Covid kept us active and focused. We now pick beach rubbish wherever we go, home or away.
“When I read on social media that Ghost Fishing UK was heading to Shetland at the same time as us, we jumped at the opportunity to help out at the quayside and volunteer with these fabulous folks who give up their time to rid our coastal waters of ghost gear.”
The charity was also supported by companies and organisations like DFDS, Lerwick Port Authority and Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary.
It said it hopes to return to Shetland in the future, and is appealing for fishermen to report and gear losses to their dedicated reporting system here.
Read more about the charity’s trip to Shetland here.
Meanwhile the established Fishing for Litter scheme continues to go from strength to strength.
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It encourages fishermen to collect marine litter out at sea and dispose of it onshore, with more than 2,000 tonnes collected in Scotland since 2005.
That project is organised by KIMO International, a network of local governments working together for healthy seas, cleaner beaches and thriving coastal communities.
Fishermen are provided with hardwearing bags to collect marine litter they find in their nets, and when they are ashore it is placed into a skip. The scheme also covers the costs of disposal.
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