Chennai

The gear, which takes up to 600 years to decompose, is a huge threat to the marine ecosystem. To combat this, World Animal Protection has written to the navies of the world, including the Indian Navy, to curb illegal fishing and help clear ocean debris. Around 6,40,000 tonnes of ghost gear is discarded into our oceans yearly, mostly by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing vessels, due to the illicit nature of their activities. As a part of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, WAP had written to the Indian Navy and nine more global navies, including Russian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Royal Navy among others.

Gajender K Sharma, India Country Director at World Animal Protection, said a lot of illegal fishing happens around the world, leading to dumping of fishing gear into the ocean. “We have written to the navies of the world, requesting them to ensure that while patrolling, these illegal fishing vessels are reduced. Navy and the Coast Guard can ensure that illegal fishing is stopped and help us remove debris from ocean, with the help of agencies working in this arena,” said activist, adding there is no response from Indian Navy. To compound the issue, it is not only the illegal vessels that are dumping their gear but also other licensed fishermen, due to lack of knowledge. With the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle nesting season going on along the city’s coastline, Chennai-based activist Shravan Krishnan said that ghost gear poses a huge threat to the Olive Ridley sea turtles. 

To illustrate, Shravan pointed out the attitude towards the Turtle Excluder Device among fishermen, which has been tepid at best. The activist, who has been creating awareness among the fisherfolk on using the TED to ensure that the turtle caught in a fishing net can escape, said, “Though only 2% of the catch is lost through TED, the fishermen don’t want to give that up to save turtles, which are important to our ecosystem. The traditional crafts are not a problem but the illegal trawler boats, which result in unsustainable fishing causing injuries to the sea turtles. Since mid-December, nearly 50 Olive Ridley sea turtles have been found dead in a 14-kms stretch. Only 10% of the dead turtles are washed ashore. Imagine the harm to the marine ecosystem.”

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