underwater rescue: Freeing crabs from deadly ghost nets. скачать в хорошем качестве

underwater rescue: Freeing crabs from deadly ghost nets.

Ghost nets are fishing gear that has been abandoned, lost, or discarded in the ocean, lakes, and rivers. This includes nets, lines, and traps. They are a significant threat to marine life and the health of ocean ecosystems. Impact of Ghost Nets: Entanglement: Ghost nets indiscriminately trap marine animals, including fish, sea turtles, dolphins, porpoises, sharks, seals, birds, and crustaceans. Once entangled, these animals can suffer from injuries, suffocation, starvation, and predation. Ghost Fishing: The nets continue to fish even when they are no longer under the control of fishers, leading to the unnecessary death of marine life. This is a continuous cycle where dead animals in the net attract scavengers, which then also become entangled. Habitat Destruction: Ghost nets can snag on coral reefs and other sensitive habitats, causing physical damage by breaking corals, smothering them, and blocking sunlight. They can also damage seagrass beds and other important ecosystems. Ingestion of Microplastics: Over time, ghost nets made of plastic materials like nylon decompose into smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics. Marine animals can mistake these microplastics for food, leading to internal injuries, blockages, and exposure to toxic chemicals. These microplastics can also enter the food chain, potentially impacting human health. Spread of Invasive Species: Ghost nets can act as rafts, transporting microorganisms and invasive species across ocean basins, disrupting local ecosystems. Navigation Hazard: Large ghost nets can become entangled in the propellers of boats, posing a safety risk to mariners and causing operational delays and economic losses. How Fishing Gear Becomes Ghost Nets: Environmental Factors: Bad weather, strong currents, and tides can cause fishing gear to be lost accidentally. Nets and lines can get snagged on the seabed, rocks, or coral reefs and break loose. Accidents: Fishing gear can accidentally fall overboard during fishing operations or shipping accidents. Poor Management: Improper storage or handling of fishing gear on vessels can lead to loss. Intentional Discarding: In some cases, fishers may intentionally discard old or damaged gear at sea, sometimes due to a lack of proper disposal facilities or to avoid disposal costs. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing can also contribute to intentional discarding to avoid detection. Scale of the Problem: It is estimated that ghost gear makes up a significant portion of marine litter, with some estimates suggesting at least 10% by weight. Hundreds of thousands of tons of fishing gear are lost or discarded in the oceans each year. Millions of marine animals are estimated to be killed or injured annually due to ghost nets. Addressing the Issue: Various initiatives are underway to tackle the problem of ghost nets: Prevention: Efforts focus on promoting responsible fishing practices, improving gear management on vessels, providing proper disposal facilities for old gear, and developing biodegradable fishing gear. Removal: Organizations and volunteer groups conduct clean-up operations to retrieve ghost nets from the ocean and coastlines. This often involves divers and specialized equipment. Recycling and Repurposing: Recovered ghost nets are sometimes recycled into new products like clothing, carpets, or even new fishing gear, creating a circular economy approach. Technological Solutions: Innovative technologies like sonar and AI-powered platforms are being developed to detect and map ghost nets for more efficient retrieval. Policy and Collaboration: International collaborations, government initiatives, and partnerships between fishing industries, conservation organizations, and research institutions are crucial for addressing this global issue. Organizations like the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) work to unite stakeholders and scale up solutions. Raising Awareness: Educating the public, fishers, and policymakers about the impacts of ghost nets is essential to encourage responsible practices and support mitigation efforts. Ghost nets represent a significant and ongoing threat to the health of our oceans and the marine life they support. Addressing this problem requires a multi-faceted approach involving prevention, removal, recycling, technological innovation, and collaborative efforts at local, national, and international levels.