A persistent contributor to ocean pollution globally are marine debris. These not only injure and kill marine life, but also interfere with navigation and safety, thereby threatening human beings. The marine debris that pollute oceans and waterways range from tiny microplastics, derelict fishing gear or even, abandoned vessels. In particular, abandoned or lost fishing hear is responsible for entangling, injuring, maiming and drowning the marine wildlife. Laden with dead marine life, these nets sink to the bottom of the oceans and scavengers then feed on the entangled carcasses. The nets then rise back to the surface to continue the ghost fishing cycle.
Thus, these are the most harmful kinds of marine waste that last for centuries, causing marine life (including coral reefs) to die of starvation, exhaustion and suffocation. Once, they start degrading, they shed microplastics as well, which comprise another deleterious pollutant. According to estimates by the United Nations, 600,000-800,000 metric tonnes of fishing gear is lost or deliberately dumped in the oceans annually.
In an effort to solve this critical issue, the FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) has teamed up with the Ghost Fishing Foundation, a marine conservation group, under the Good Net project. The aim of this project is to remove lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets, termed “ghost nets,” from the oceans. These are consequently recycled into volleyball nets for local community use around the world.
The project is designed to ensure that the durable synthetic fibres that form most modern fishing nets are broken down into nylon yarn, which can then be used for numerous purposes. Some of these nets are repaired using traditional methods, while others are converted into volleyball nets. Based on the principle of circular economy, the nets that would otherwise have been hazardous, are sustainably utilised.
The first sporting event that used these recycled nets took place at the famous Copacabana beach in Brazil. This was also the setting for the Volleyball tournament during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. This flagged off a series of FIVB-endorsed volleyball matches around the world, in order to raise awareness about the damage caused to marine life and ecosystems, due to the abandoned fishing gear.
According to Nick Mallos, the director of the Trash Free Seas programme, led by the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, the current state of the oceans is a lose-lose scenario for the marine life as well as the fishermen. He says, “when there is a large amount of fishing gear out there, it affects fishermen’s bottom lines, it affects the future sustainability of otherwise harvestable catch, and often it prevents fishermen from spending more time on the water.”
This initiative is a product of efforts by the academia, policy-makers, private companies and NGOs to tackle the burgeoning problem of ghost fishing in oceans around the world. Sustained and collaborative efforts of this sort are critical if the world has any hope of salvaging the dire situation of the marine ecosystems, a crucial aspect of the overall sustainability of the planet.
India Outbound
May 16, 2019
source https://indiaoutbound.org/ghost-fishing-plight-of-marine-life/
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