Ghost gear poses threat to marine life on Andhra Pradesh coast
Ghost fishing gear not only poses a threat to marine creatures but also to underwater ecology. FSI Visakhapatnam has identified 15 hotspots of ghost gear across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. Of the 15 hotspots, 10 are on AP coast while five on Odisha coast. FSI vessels retrieved 2,000 kgs of ghost gear off Paradip (Odisha), 1,202 kg off Bheemunipatnam (AP), 920 kgs off Pudimadaka (AP), and 320 kgs each off Chintapalli and Kalingapatnam coasts in AP from the 15 hotspots.
Ghost nets are lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets in the oceans that drift underwater, and strangle and kill fish, coral reefs, turtles and other organisms. The problem of ghost fishing nets is prevalent in marine areas along AP and Odisha coasts. Due to the presence of rocky habitat, the nets get entangled at the rocky bottom. As it is difficult to retrieve the nets, fishermen discard them in the sea which stay there forever.
C Dhananjaya Rao, mechanical marine engineer with FSI-Visakhapatnam, said ghost nets, besides killing marine animals due to trapping, also disturb the ecosystem and can cause damage to boats as a result of getting entangled in the propeller. We have been conducting awareness meetings among fishermen to address the concern of ghost nets and their impact on marine life in the coastal districts. Ghost gear and marine plastic litter were segregated and handed over to local civic bodies for proper disposal.
Fishermen have been asked to hand over torn nets and marine plastic to collection centres of civic bodies so that local agencies can recycle the discarded fishing nets," Rao said.
According to GVA Prasad, scientist at FSI-Visakhapatnam, it is important to educate the fishing community about the negative impact of ghost nets on marine environment. "They need to be encouraged to recover ghost nets for proper disposal.
Public awareness through communication can be a powerful tool to tackle the ghost nets menace," he opined.
Polythene or nylon fishnets usually wear out every 8-10 months. "If stuck in a rock while fishing, we pull the net out, but it tears, and the torn bit goes underwater, choking Olive Ridley turtles and fish. Not every fisherman is aware of the dangers of host nets. However, some of them collect and hand over the ghost nets at collection centres for such items," said Surada Satyanarayana, general secretary of Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators Welfare Association.
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