– We estimate that 10,000 fishing gears are lost in Rat National Park alone. There are 1,000 new ones every year. The numbers are sad.
Institute of Marine Research’s Susanna Hunite Thorbjornsen leans on an overgrown lobster stone.
It was one of 2,500 pieces of lost fishing gear recovered from the depths of the Rhade National Park outside Arendal in the past three years.
Some of the finds are more than ten years old.
– Fishing nets left in the sea catch fish and shellfish for years. Most of them die of starvation or of injuries from fighting in the streets, he says Thorbjornsen.
search function of time
Three years ago, the Institute of Marine Research launched a project called “Actions against Ghost Fishing in Raed National Park”.
It includes research, discovery and disposal of lost fishing gear.
Researchers have focused on a 200 square kilometer ocean area and used large resources to search with divers and underwater drones.
All to understand the scale of ghost fishing off the Norwegian coast.
Project manager Alf Ring Kleven says they’ve received several responses, but not all are equally uplifting.
– Even where there is a lot of effort against ghost fishing in Norway, it gets worse. We now have more tools lost in the national park than when we started.
Project manager of the Marine Research Institute, Alf Ring Kleven, says that a lot of fishing gear is being lost in Raed National Park.
Photo: Erlend Astad Lorentzen / Institute of Marine Research
Shifts focus
Marine scientists will now shift their focus to the fight against ghost fishing.
They tell NRK that replenishment of lost equipment is too much to destroy indiscriminately on shore.
– Going forward, we will focus our efforts on marine protected areas, particularly crab protection areas. After all, lobsters are red listed and must be protected.
There are now about 50 protected areas for lobsters in Norway.
Susanna Huneide Thorbjørnsen makes it clear that this battle can only be won if fishermen lose less lines, nets and lures.
– Recreational fishermen in particular should contribute here. The There are several simple tricks to prevent tool loss.
She hopes to do a lot Familiarize yourself with good tea knowledge collected by researchers on this website.
Researcher Susanna Hunite Thorbjörnsson believes that the fight against ghost fishing can only be won if fishermen lose fewer lines, nets and lures.
Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / NRK
– Need to work on multiple nodes simultaneously
Handelen’s Environmental Fund has financed most of the cleanup project in Rat.
Cecile Lind, the general manager, says the 10 million kroner is money well spent.
– Lost fishing gear is a major environmental problem. Additionally, ghost fishing kills annually.
The problem, he says, is large distribution, so solving the problem requires working on multiple fronts simultaneously.
The Environment Fund, which receives revenue from the plastic bag tax, is launching cleanups at several new locations this year. These include projects in the inner Oslofjord and Jomfruland, which received NOK 40 million.
Cicely Lind, general manager of Handelens Milljofond, believes that solving the ghost fishing problem requires work on several fronts simultaneously.
Photo: Handelens Miljøfond
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