THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two large fishing nets that had turned hazardous to marine life were recovered by divers from the seabed off Vizhinjam on Sunday. This is perhaps the first time that an active attempt was made to recover ‘ghost nets’ - as abandoned or discarded fishing nets are called - along this part of the Indian coastline.
Both nets weigh a combined 400 kg, Robert Panipilla, convener of Valiyathura-based Friends of Marine Life (FML), which took out the underwater trash recovery expedition, said. “One of the nets, a shore-seine, was lost during the Ockhi cyclone disaster. It was entangled at a depth of six metres. The net was lodged at a depth of three metres. According to the fishermen, it was brought to this coast by the ocean currents,” he said.
Abandoned fishing nets pose a great hazard to marine biodiversity. Hence, the United Nations had sounded the warning bells calling for their tagging and recovery. FML, which had attended the UN Ocean Conference in New York last year, said nylon nets on board the scores of fishing craft that were lost at sea could now constitute a major threat to the fish and other forms of underwater life.
Such is the threat posed by all forms of marine debris including abandoned fishing gear that it will be the theme of a national seminar planned by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi in April. But in reality, little is being done by the government agencies to locate marine debris or remove them, says Panipilla.
On Sunday, seven divers of FML undertook the net recovery at two different locations in Vizhinjam. They were assisted by about ten volunteers. The underwater expedition was also carried out to generate awareness about ‘ghost nets’ and the hazards of dumping trash in the sea in general. FML members said they will ask the city corporation to dispose of the nets.