The clearing of the Southwold Bow site is part of a larger net removal project currently being undertaken by UCHU at various Heritage Malta underwater sites.
Apart from contributing to the preservation of our submerged cultural heritage, such operations also reap environmental benefits. Today, marine pollution is on the rise, and understanding its impacts on the environment is a priority. The elimination of ghost gear is an integral part of protecting the marine environment.
The presence of ghost gear – abandoned fishing nets, traps, pots and lines – in the world’s oceans is gaining traction, with an estimated 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear left in the oceans every year. The dangers of ghost gear lie in its material durability, often floating on ocean currents and indiscriminately ghost fishing its way across the sea.
The Mediterranean and Malta are not exempt from this. The threat of entanglement is there for marine flora and fauna, often attracted to and flourishing at wreck sites. The threat is also there to divers visiting the site, often unaware of the dangers of ghost gear.