Kategorie: News
Ghost net recovery to protect marine animals
Since 2019, the Society for the Rescue of Dolphins (GRD) has been organizing ghost net recovery operations in the Baltic Sea to protect marine animals. Together with dedicated divers and project partner Wolfgang Frank, the GRD team has already disposed of over 12 tons of deadly ghost nets!
Each recovery operation provides valuable experience that is passed on to interested divers. For this reason, the GRD has been offering diving workshops on ghost net recovery since 2022. Of course, the safety of everyone involved in these challenging operations is one of the primary training objectives.
Recovering fishing debris can be extremely difficult: visibility is poor, the nets are located at depths of more than 30 meters, and the Baltic Sea is cold even in midsummer. But the rewards for the effort involved in recovering ghost nets are well worth it! Every joint recovery makes the seas safer for their inhabitants.
Active divers for marine conservation
Regardless of their training association, all divers have one thing in common: a love of the sea and its diversity! So why not combine fun and enjoyment with something useful and work together to do something good for our marine life?
It is only through the tireless and dedicated efforts of trained divers that the GRD has been able to recover a large number of ghost nets from the Baltic Sea. These fishing nets would have posed a major threat to biodiversity and meant certain death for many creatures every year.
If you dive and would like to help protect the oceans by recovering ghost nets, then register for one of the GRD workshops using the form
The GRD project team will contact all interested parties as soon as workshop dates are confirmed.
Note: Individual workshops for clubs are possible. If you are interested, please contact info@delphinschutz.org
General information about the workshops
Workshop content (excerpt):
• Day 1: Theory
Information on different types of lost nets, communication underwater, potential hazards during a recovery operation, etc.
• Day 2: Practical
Prepared nets are located, lifted with lifting bags, detached from the bottom with knives, and finally recovered.
Workshop dates
Summer/fall 2025
• Dates to be announced
Workshops led by experienced instructors
Wolfgang Düfer is an experienced diver who has been diving actively since the turn of the millennium. He began collecting trash from the sea during his very first dives. This was prompted by a formative experience in Egypt, where he watched a turtle try to eat a plastic bag. Wolfgang completed his diving instructor training in 2012 and opened his own diving school, “Tauchertreff-Meinersen,” in 2015.
With more than 2,500 dives under his belt, he has extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the underwater world. Wolfgang has been a regular participant in GRD salvage operations since 2020. He now also leads the GRD's diving workshops, where he shares his experience and passion for marine conservation.
Susi Bordin grew up with animals and has been fascinated by water since she was a child. In 2017, she fulfilled her dream of owning her own motorhome and has been traveling with her dog Emmy ever since, discovering new places and countries. In 2019, she experienced the underwater world and decided to start diving training to do something useful. Her motto is: “If everyone does a little, together we can do a lot!”
In 2022, Susi was actively involved in the GRD's ghost net recovery operations for the first time. She also helps with underwater clean-ups, such as those organized by Mission Förde e.V. and Just1.ocean. Since 2024, Susi has also taken on additional responsibility for leading workshops on ghost net recovery.
Further information and current dates can be found at:
Workshops on ghost net recovery
Ghost net recovery (projects)
https://www.delphinschutz.org/projekte/geisternetze/
Publications on the topic
GRD and DLRG jointly recover ghost nets
Ghost net recovery and clean-up on Rügen
Ghost net recovery in the Baltic Sea