Researchers discover 'hotspots' of dangerous issue in fishing industry: 'Not every fisherman is aware of the dangers'
The survey vessels MFV Matsya Shikari and MVF Matsya Darshini of the Fishery Survey of India have spent several years going up and down the coast near Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, trawling the bottom of the ocean. They have recovered 5,562 kilograms (12,262 pounds, or over six tons) of ghost fishing gear, including nets, ropes, containers, and covers.
Researchers discovered 15 "hotspots" where trash was heavily concentrated.
Nets commonly wear out every eight to 10 months, and it's not uncommon to lose them. "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," said Surada Satyanarayana, general secretary of Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators Welfare Association, per the Times of India.
Indeed, left-behind gear is a hazard for marine life, entangling and strangling a wide range of creatures. It can even snare boat propellers and cause severe damage, costing people money. Because nets snare on rocks and coral and because plastic doesn't decompose, nets can stay on the bottom, disrupting the ecosystem for essentially forever.
"Not every fisherman is aware of the dangers of ghost nets," said Satyanarayana. "However, some of them collect and hand over the ghost nets at collection centers for such items."
Those collection centers are one of the biggest ways officials fight the problem. Local civic authorities run collection centers to gather and recycle worn-out and damaged fishing gear, rather than having fishers leave it in the ocean.
But public awareness is critical to ensure these programs are used. "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," said GVA Prasad, scientist at FSI-Visakhapatnam, per the Times of India.
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