COLLECTING GHOST NETS IN THE BALTIC SEA - WWF

3.4. Recommendations concerning
the safety and efficiency of operations
conducted by fishermen (retrieving
ghost nets from the sea bottom)
and by divers (on shipwrecks)
The Polish team did not observe any dangerous
situations significantly different from normal conditions
of work on fishing vessels. However, the time
taken to implement the retrieval technique varied
from vessel to vessel, which may have been related
to a number of factors, such as:
• the captains’ and their crews’ knowledge
of techniques and fishing grounds other than
those used on a daily basis;
• the specific nature of the fishing grounds where
the operations of retrieving ghost nets were
conducted (chiefly the type of sea floor and the
presence of wrecks, but also navigation
restraints related to the presence of sailing
routes, the fishing gear set in a particular area,
currents and the depth at which the ghost nets
were found).
Practical recommendations put forward by the
Lithuanian partners:
• operations should be conducted in April and
May, when underwater visibility is far better than
during the summer;
• for diving operations at depths exceeding 20 m
it is recommended to use diving equipment
feeding the air directly from the surface to
extend the time that can be spent underwater;
• it is necessary to use plumbing tools for cutting
steel ropes and other specialist equipment for
underwater work.
3.5. Conclusions and recommendations
arising from the comparison of
operations in Lithuania and Poland
The activities of the Polish and Lithuanian teams
were conducted in specific conditions due to the
character of waters and sea bottom in Polish and
Lithuanian zones (Figure 2 – the Lithuanian zone
with depth contours), intensity of use of living
resources, different fishing traditions and a number
of other factors.
© WWF / Cz. Krewski
20 COLLECTING GHOST NETS IN THE BALTIC SEA