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HEPCA launches campaign to recover lost fishing nets (ghost nets)

The Fish stocks in the Red Sea are almost wholly dependent on the delicate reef ecosystems. Irresponsible fishing practices, such as forcible removal of fish, overfishing of spawning areas, or destroying reefs and sea beds with nets, committed by some fishermen are condemning the marine pelagic and coastal ecosystems of the Red Sea to certain death. Lost fishing gear or "ghost nets" continually catch fish for many months without any type of profit for fisheries. According to experts, they are responsible for a high percentage of incidental by catch of commercial and non-commercial species all over the world Last week HEPCA`s mooring team launched a six month campaign that aims to clean and clear the corals from lost fishing nets , in an attempt to minimize the impact that fishing gear produces on the seabed and marine ecosystems. HEPCA will also increase awareness of the fragility of the seabed and the efforts that must be made in order to preserve and recover this natural heritage. We have visited four areas so far and collected more than 100 kilograms of lost fishing nets. More focus will be given to areas away from those of ordinary snorkeling and diving activities as such areas are already checked on a regular basis during our regular mooring maintenance activities. We will keep you updated with the results of this campaign. We were pleased with the participation of the head of Hurghada fishermen on this campaign and we invite all the Red Sea fishermen and the diving community to join us in our collective effort to protect our Red Sea.