After the success of our 2023 Shetland Project, Ghost Fishing UK is excited to return to Shetland to continue our work. We have further reports of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear and, thanks to our previous work, established relationships with the fishing community.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
Ghost nets kill untold numbers of animals each year and add to the ocean plastic pollution problem. Fishermen have reported that they have been recovering lost nets in Shetland that are full of unintended catches. The nets are recognised as not being local to the British Isles. Ghost Fishing UK is heading back to Shetland for a week-long project to help locate and remove as much ghost gear as possible and recycle what they can. They will be working in harmony with the local fishing community.
Solution
The charity has chartered a liveaboard diving boat for 12 divers for one week in the summer of 2024. The boat will operate in Shetland, and the charity will work with information from divers and the fishing community in Shetland to locate lost fishing gear, recover it and recycle everything they can. The charity will collaborate with local fisheries, further cementing the relationship we established last year. They will also work with others, such as Keep Britain Tidy and Ocean Recovery Project.