{"id":228133,"date":"2024-06-22T19:26:49","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T19:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/22\/where-ghost-gear-haunts-the-seas-divers-unite-to-clean-up\/"},"modified":"2024-06-22T19:26:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-22T19:26:49","slug":"where-ghost-gear-haunts-the-seas-divers-unite-to-clean-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/22\/where-ghost-gear-haunts-the-seas-divers-unite-to-clean-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Where \u2018ghost gear\u2019 haunts the seas, divers unite to clean up"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For nearly two decades, Edgardo Ochoa has picked away at a problem.<\/p>\n

A net here, some fishing line there \u2014 Conservation International\u2019s marine and diving safety officer has single-handedly scooped up thousands of pounds of abandoned fishing gear from the bottom of the sea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s impressive, but it\u2019s not nearly enough to make a dent: According to one estimate, nearly a third<\/a> of fishing lines are lost or discarded at sea. This so-called \u201cghost gear\u201d \u2014 along with lost nets and traps \u2014 is deadly<\/a> for marine animals. Experts estimate that more than 300,000 whales<\/a> and dolphins die each year after getting tangled in them. Once, Ochoa saw a whale caught<\/a> in a fishing net that ended up severing its tail.<\/span><\/p>\n

With far more \u201cghost\u201d nets than any one person can possibly handle, Ochoa created a course<\/a> to teach recreational divers how to safely remove ghost gear from the sea. Over the past five years, that course has certified nearly 100 divers in Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\/A third of fishing lines and 6% of nets are lost to the sea, where they smother coral and entangle wildlife. \u00a9Ramon Lepage<\/h6>\n

Last year, he partnered with the fashion brand H&M to expand the effort, training an additional 50 divers so far. He says he doesn\u2019t measure success by the amount of trash picked up, but rather by the number of divers who join his ranks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pay-it-forward kind of approach,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more people we certify, the more people that can use these skills to remove any trash they encounter \u2014 whenever and wherever they\u2019re diving.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

During the course, Ochoa leads pairs of trainees through dive safety sessions, covering underwater signals and how to safely cut, lift and remove ghost gear at depths of up to 18 meters (60 feet). He likens the experience to a choreographed dance \u2014 each diver moves in unison and has a role.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ochoa said he\u2019s seen a demand for this type of training \u2014 people are aware of the problem, and they want to help.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more than 6 million active recreational divers worldwide,\u201d he said. \u201cIf even a fraction of them did something when they went diving, it would be the biggest underwater cleanup that has existed in history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\/Volunteers learn to safely remove ghost gear in what Ochoa calls a “choreographed dance.” \u00a9\u00a0Arturo Hern\u00e1ndez<\/h6>\n

<\/span>\u2018A spider web\u2019 of fishing lines<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ochoa dives all over the world, for work and for fun. He averages at least 150 dives a year. Every dive, like every dive site, is different.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the unsettling constant is trash.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been diving in some of the most beautiful places on the planet \u2014 they are almost otherworldly. Then you see the garbage, and reality rushes back,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce you see something like that, it takes hold. You don\u2019t forget it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, Ochoa traveled to a beach in San Andr\u00e9s, Colombia \u2014 where dozens of fishermen cast their lines from the shore \u2014 with a plan. He packed up his gear \u2014 a scuba tank, medical scissors, line cutters and mesh bags \u2014 and headed for the shoreline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI found a literal spider web of fishing lines,\u201d he said. \u201cThousands of fishing lines were all tangled together.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ochoa asked 10 divers to help him clean up for one hour to see how much they could accomplish. Unsurprisingly, picking up trash is trickier and more time consuming underwater than on land. In one hour, the group didn\u2019t move more than 15 meters (50 feet) \u2014 and barely scratched the surface of the problem, he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing that\u2019s not tricky? Finding discarded fishing gear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAsk where people fish, and you know where the trash will be,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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