Yesterday, Fathoms Free were made aware of some pots that had appeared on a remote beach in Cornwall. This morning, one of our volunteer divers, Jim, decided to go and ensure the pots wouldn't get taken back out to sea and release any marine life that was trapped.
Unfortunately, only one lobster and three crabs were still living and placed back into the sea. Everything else trapped in the pots, from crabs to catshark, was dead.
Sadly, this is another example of marine life wasted due to ALDFG (abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear) that we commonly call ghost gear.
Big thanks to Jim, for responding and ensuring these wildlife traps no longer pose a threat to marine life
