Ghost net recoveries in the Baltic Sea

Successful premiere for new scuba diving workshop

During the last weekend on the island of Rügen, five recreational divers were instructed in theory and practice in order to be able to actively participate in ghost net recoveries in the future for the first time from the Society for the Rescue of Dolphins (GRD) and the experienced ghost net diver Wolfgang Frank. Through the committed advocacy of the participants for the protection of marine biodiversity in the Baltic Sea, the GRD's "Ghost Nets" project thus receives additional support. Further diving workshops - supported by the German Postcode Lottery as well as the travel portal Ostsee24.de - are planned by the GRD.

"Interesting, informative, entertaining" and "very instructive" - this is how the participants of the first diving workshop for ghost net recovery, organized by the GRD in cooperation with Wolfgang Frank, summed up the past weekend. Since the end of 2019, the animal protection organization has been cooperating with the experienced ghost net diver from Rügen; together, it has already been possible to salvage almost seven tons of the dangerous fishing waste from the Baltic Sea. With the new workshop, in which recreational divers are made fit for ghost net recovery, the existing cooperation was extended by another format.

Further diving workshops - supported by the German Postcode Lottery as well as the travel portal Ostsee24.de - are planned by the GRD.

Day 1 focused on theoretical knowledge transfer. Information was provided on the negative effects of ghost nets on the underwater world in the world's oceans, as well as on the special situation off the island of Rügen, where countless trawl and set nets have become entangled in the estimated 1200 shipwrecks. In his lecture, Wolfgang Frank not only informed the participants about the peculiarities of a Baltic Sea dive, but in particular provided detailed information about the procedure of a salvage mission. Each participant was then given the opportunity to perform dry runs on a former ghost net using a knife.

On the second day, the learned knowledge was put into practice: Due to the external conditions, the simulation of a salvage operation was not carried out on a wreck, but on the pier of Mukran. In two teams, the participants dove to the bottom of the Baltic Sea and searched for ghost nets. With a visibility of only 0.5 meters, an old fish trap was finally found, at which the sport divers were able to gain their first practical experience under the instruction of Wolfgang Frank. By means of lift bags the bag-like net could be lifted and then brought on board - a complete success!

Positive feedback of the participants - further workshops in planning

"The weekend was very instructive. We were able to experience the effort and power that goes into such a recovery operation," comments a participant from Nuremberg on the workshop. A diver from Rügen explains: "What negative effects ghost nets have on nature and the underwater world in the world's oceans, I was not so clearly aware of until then. Nor of the effort and expense it takes to recover them, recycle them or put them to another useful use." All participants can hardly wait to take part in a salvage operation.

This is precisely the intention that the Society to Save Dolphins associates with the novel workshop format. "In the Baltic Sea, divers have been getting their money's worth all year round for years due to the variety of different shipwrecks. But why not combine the enjoyable with something meaningful? We would like it to become a matter of course for experienced divers in the future to take man's contaminated waste, such as ghost nets or other garbage, back to the surface if possible and dispose of it properly," explains Verena Platt-Till, graduate biologist and diver at the GRD.

In the meantime, it is fortunately no longer unusual for most people to pick up trash on the beaches. So why not underwater, too? "For this, however, it is important that interested recreational divers receive professional and competent training, because recovering ghost nets can be a real hazard if you lack experience. Thanks to Wolfgang Frank, the German Postcode Lottery and the travel portal Ostsee24.de, this is now possible. I would like to thank all those involved in the first workshop for their future commitment to protecting the threatened biodiversity in the Baltic Sea," says Verena Platt-Till.


More information: GRD - Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine