Ghost gear charity preparing to return to Shetland

A CHARITY which deploys divers in the sea to retrieve discarded and lost fishing gear is returning to Shetland later this month.

Ghost Fishing UK helped to recover 1,500kg of equipment such as nets and creels from waters around Shetland after the charity made its first trip north last year.

It has confirmed that it is planning another week-long stay in Shetland later this month to help the fishing community clean up the seas around the isles, with 12 divers set to be involved.

Local fishermen can report lost gear in need of removal via the email address shetland@ghostfishing.co.uk. There is also an online form.

The charity is especially interested in lost gear in depths of 40 metres or less.

Ghost Fishing UK is a registered charity consisting of volunteer scuba divers dedicated to removing abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear known as ‘ghost gear’.

It said it is “not anti-fishing”, with the charity aiming to work closely with the fishing community, actively seeking reports from local fishermen who have lost fishing gear so it can recover and return it to them or recycle it, if it is unable to be reused.