Divers rescue hundreds of sea creatures from ‘ghost fishing’ gear in the Clyde

A marine rescue operation has been taking place in the Clyde, with volunteer divers working to save hundreds of sea creatures trapped in discarded or lost fishing gear.

The team says it has seen “the devastation” this type of marine litter can cause and is determined to prevent further harm.

In the cold waters off Gourock, divers have been retrieving abandoned fishing gear from the seabed, bringing it to the surface after discovering hundreds of small sea creatures trapped inside.

Jason Coles, skipper at Wreckspeditions Dive Charters, told STV News: “This gear is not there, it’s not purposely dumped, sometimes it’s just lost.

“But the problem is it’s a bit ‘out of sight out of mind’, so seeing it down there and seeing all these wee critters just completely helpless, just completely covered up in net and line, it tugs at the heartstrings.”

Lost fishing equipment can become a deadly trap for species such as starfish, pipefish and crabs, which are able to climb in but are then unable to escape. Each marine animal recovered during the operation is logged before being released back into the water.

Fred Nunn from Ghost Fishing UK said the group is made up entirely of volunteers.

He said: “We all started off as scuba divers with a passion for the seas and nature, so seeing the equipment on our favourite sites is very disheartening.

“Ten years ago, a load of us got together and decided we’d start doing something about it and now we’re spreading out across the country.”

An estimated 640,000 tonnes of so-called ghost fishing gear are thought to enter the world’s oceans every year, accounting for around 10% of all marine plastic pollution.

However, there is growing action around Scotland’s coastline to tackle the problem. Alongside ghost fishing dives, members of the fishing industry are also signing up to the Fishing for Litter project.

The voluntary scheme provides fishermen with large bags to collect litter at sea, which is then brought back to shore to be recycled.

Julia Cant from Fishing for Litter said: “I would say in Scotland we are averaging about 150 tonnes per annum that we are collecting, so it’s a large number.”

The project is marking its 20th anniversary this year, with hopes that more harbours will join the initiative.

People on land are also being encouraged to play their part by reporting ghost fishing gear to Ghost Fishing UK, with every report helping to reduce the threat to marine life in Scotland’s waters.