{"id":295346,"date":"2025-03-19T23:23:51","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T23:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/as-ghost-junk-haunts-the-sea-mermaids-are-fighting-back\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T23:23:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T23:23:51","slug":"as-ghost-junk-haunts-the-sea-mermaids-are-fighting-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newhampshiredigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/as-ghost-junk-haunts-the-sea-mermaids-are-fighting-back\/","title":{"rendered":"As ghost junk haunts the sea, \u2018mermaids\u2019 are fighting back"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Sitting on the side of a small boat off the coast of Baja California, suited up in diving gear, a group of 10 women prepared to descend into the chilly waters.<\/p>\n

Their mission? Remove as much \u201cghost gear\u201d as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abandoned fishing lines, nets and traps are a pervasive and deadly<\/a> threat to the world\u2019s oceans, smothering coral reefs and ensnaring marine animals. According to one estimate, nearly a third<\/a> of fishing lines are lost or discarded at sea. Experts estimate<\/a> that more than 300,000 whales and dolphins die each year after getting tangled in them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The women \u2014 fisherwomen, wives of fishermen, a lifeguard, marine biologist and an artist among them \u2014 call themselves \u201cSirenas (mermaids) de Mexico,\u201d and they are determined to protect the ocean, strengthen their communities
\n and break barriers in the seafood industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur community depends on the sea; any activity that benefits the sea, benefits our future,\u201d said Ha\u00f1ela Ancona Balam, a reef monitoring diver and member of the Sirenas. \u201cWe know that women of the sea have always been there; now we are demonstrating that we are capable of more than just frying fish. We can do all the activities that men can do at sea, and now we are proving it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\/\u00a9 Isai Dominguez\/Conservation International<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

Several of the Sirenas prepare to dive for ghost gear. A third of fishing lines and 6% of nets are lost to the sea, where they smother coral and entangle wildlife.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Sirenas recently met on Isla Natividad for a weeklong training session to learn to clean up ghost gear. Led by Edgardo Ochoa, global marine and diving safety officer at Conservation International, along with Conservation International-<\/span>M\u00e9xico and the local marine and diving organization COBI, the training leads them through dive safety practices, underwater signals and how to safely cut, lift and remove ghost gear at depths of up to 18 meters (60 feet).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of pride and emotions went into our work that week,\u201d Ochoa said. \u201cIt was inspiring to see these women from different backgrounds come together with the same goal and to hear them planning for the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While the main goal was learning the ropes to ghost gear removal, the group was able to remove two [abandoned] lobster traps, as well as a massive assembly of ropes and traps \u2014 despite battling cold waters and tough conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\/\u00a9 Isai Dominguez\/Conservation International<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

The Sirenas scooped up two abandoned lobster traps during their training.<\/em><\/p>\n

For the women, their motivations for participating in the training were personal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carmina Salinas, a local marine biologist, was reminded of her father, who taught her to love the ocean.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ocean is like my dad\u2019s hug \u2026 every time I submerge in the water, it\u2019s like having that part of him with me,\u201d she said. \u201cHe and my grandfather would tell me that the ocean used to provide much more. Now, our task is to preserve what is left, as well as try to rescue what we have lost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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