Key Highlights :
Off the spectacular Greek tourist island of Santorini, divers are taking action to combat the deadly “ghost nets” that have been claiming the lives of thousands of fish in the depths of the Aegean Sea. Mika Panagiotopoulou, a volunteer diver, has been descending up to 45 metres to retrieve discarded nets, tyres, and plastic bags from the crystalline blue waters. “These abandoned nets are like fish traps,” said Panagiotopoulou. “For half a century the build-up of these abandoned nets has swept up thousands of fish and caused incalculable damage to the flora and fauna of our seas.”
The rubbish was gathered up at the little port of Vlychada before being recycled, with Santorini’s mayor Antonis Sigalas on hand to highlight the dangers of abandoned fishing nets for our seas. George Sarelakos, co-founder of Aegean Rebreath, the Greek NGO behind the clean-up, said: “Discarded fishing nets account for about a tenth of the world’s marine pollution and it’s a real challenge because up to now it has been invisible – because most people have no idea of what in hidden in the depths.”
Since its inception five years ago, Aegean Rebreath’s 300 volunteer divers have removed more than 28 tonnes of nets and hundreds of thousands of plastic bags from Greek waters. Despite a tax being levied on plastic bags in Greece since 2018, shops still hand them out with abandon, making the work of the volunteers even more important. Sarelakos noted that there has been a change of mentality among fishermen, who are now handing over their nets to be recycled. “It is hard for a fisherman to survive so they put down more and more nets, which leads to fewer fish. It’s a vicious circle,” he said.
The work of Aegean Rebreath and its volunteers is a crucial step in the fight to save our seas from the devastating effects of marine pollution. Ghost nets are a major contributor to the destruction of coral reefs, the death of marine life, and the disruption of the food chain. It is essential that we continue to take action to reduce the amount of marine pollution and protect our oceans.