Kuwaiti Diving Team removes abandoned nets to protect marine life
KUWAIT CITY, March 25: The Kuwaiti Diving Team, affiliated with the Environmental Voluntary Foundation, successfully removed three abandoned fishing nets, each weighing two tons, from Kuwait Bay. In the process, the team rescued trapped fish and other marine creatures. This initiative is part of the team's ongoing efforts to preserve marine life and ensure the safety of shipping lanes, preventing accidents involving boats and ships.
Team leader Waleed Al-Fadhel told KUNA on Tuesday that the mission was prompted by the high concentration of abandoned nets in the bay, which poses a danger to marine life. Kuwait Bay is a crucial habitat for fish and an important environmental site. Al-Fadhel explained that special boats were used to retrieve the nets, which contained numerous dead fish, creatures, and seabirds. Some of the nets were found in deeper areas, approximately 13 meters underwater, while others were in shallower regions. The team relies on tidal movements to remove the nets, taking into account weather conditions and sea wave heights.
Al-Fadhel expressed the team's gratitude to the organizations that supported this significant effort, including the Kuwait Ports Authority, the Environment Public Authority, the Kuwait Stock Exchange, the General Directorate of the Coast Guard, the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources, and the marine rescue centers affiliated with the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate.
He emphasized that these efforts are part of the global "Clean Seas" environmental campaign, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program's Regional Office for West Asia. He also highlighted that the team's projects extend across Kuwait's waters, from the north to the south. These projects include monitoring and protecting coral reefs around Kuwaiti islands and coasts, as well as continuing beach cleaning campaigns in partnership with civil society organizations to raise environmental awareness and promote volunteer work.
Al-Fadhel commended the efforts made by the concerned authorities to protect the marine environment and acknowledged the initiative of citizens who report net locations for removal. He urged boat owners to inform the Coast Guard, marine rescue centers affiliated with the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, or the Kuwait Diving Team about any waste or violations, so that they can be addressed and their harmful effects prevented.
He also stressed the need to impose stricter penalties on fishermen who violate marine laws, particularly those fishing with nets in Kuwait Bay. This area has a diverse fish population, and fishing with nets is prohibited to preserve the marine environment, its creatures, and its coasts.
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