Article: Local divers go after 'killing machine' nets

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We have a similar event we do at our local jetties where we get a bunch of local divers together and help remove fishing line and trash from the bottom and rocks. At St. Andrews park in Panama City, FL, the fishing line is so tangled on the jetty rocks they look like huge nets. Fun times and a great way to meet new dive buddies and protect the environment.
 
That's great news, always good to see divers giving back to the environment.
 
Kurt and ODA have been doing this for a while and their partnership with the tech diving teams from Hollywoodivers undoubtedly has helped this effort immensely. Kudos to all

It is interesting that SCUBA divers heed the call to repair damage caused by the commercial fishers as well as .cleaning up trash left by the boating community. It would be nice to see both of those groups offer more support to the divers in these efforts. Back in the days when the Catalina Conservancy Divers were strong, another Conservancy support group (the Marineros or boaters) offered support to the CCD by providing boasts for transportation and as bases for CCD research. It would seem a good model to employ... getting cooperative agreements between yacht clubs and divers serving the environment.
 
Having worked directly with both ODA and other local organizations engaged in ghost net removal, I can say from first hand experience that the work is highly demanding yet very rewarding...especially on the rare occasion when we able to find trapped marine life in time to save them.

This is a great example of how a diving community can pull together via a grass roots effort to make a positive impact on its local marine environment. Abandoned commercial fishing debris is a global problem, however, and there are several organizations throughout the world engaged in similar clean-up/awareness activities. To find out more about these international groups and initiatives check out the Ghost Fishing site.

Finally, I agree with Dr Bill, Currently, these non-profit organizations rely solely on the generosity of volunteer divers/crew and private donations. These clean-up missions are not cheap. It would seem very fair that those responsible for causing the problem should also be part of the solution.
 

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