#drift nets

Spanish divers try to cut an illegal drift net off a 12-metre-long humpback whale, who got entangled in it near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain May 20, 2022. REUTERS/Pedrosub

Excerpt from this story from Reuters:

In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers have freed a 12-metre long humpback whale entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca.

One of the divers, 32-year-old marine biologist Gigi Torras, said last Friday's rescue and a little gesture of appreciation from the giant mammal were also a birthday present for her - the 'best ever' in her words.

Drift nets are fishing tools that have been banned for entangling and killing EVERYTHING that runs across them. This form of fishing goes against just about every fishing regulation, capturing and killing endangered species, whales, dolphins, turtles, and anything else unlucky enough to find one of these nearly invisible nets.

The Deadly Math behind Drift Gillnets and Bycatch Source:  The Beacon: the blog of Oceana, worldwide ocean conservation

Pilot whales and dolphins are two of the many victims of California’s drift gillnets, a devastating fishing practice that’s responsible for the deaths of one hundred marine mammals on average every year off the coast of California.

These nets, intended to catch swordfish and thresher sharks, kill indiscriminately, threatening endangered species like sperm whales and sea turtles.

These nets are cast out below the surface, over vast areas of water.

What’s the Cost of Putting Wild-Caught Seafood on the Table? 650,000 Marine Mammals Each Year

In order to put wild-caught seafood on dinner tables, more than 650,000 marine mammals are killed or seriously injured every year in foreign fisheries after being hooked, entangled or trapped in fishing gear, and enforcement of a U.S. law to protect marine mammals could help prevent tens of thousands of these deaths, according to a new report issued today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The wild-caught seafood most enjoyed by Americans—shrimp, tuna, crab, lobster and salmon—present a particularly significant risk to marine mammals due to the dangerous ... 

This heartbreaking picture of four seals caught in an illegal driftnet. Driftnets can be up to 35 meters high and 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) long! And even though the use of driftnets over 2.5 km has been banned, they are still highly in use today.

None of the seals pictured survived.

I no longer eat fish. 

That's right. I have principles and I intend to maintain these principles by turning what I think and believe into actions so that it permeates everything I do.

Drift nets are used for fishing all over the world, in various capacities, but all the same, they cause almost irreparable damage to the oceans' ecosystems. These nets are huge, over 10 meters deep, sometimes (quite often) reaching from the surface of the water down all the way to the seabed, and each as long as 90 km (!). This is extremely detrimental to marine ecosystems. These nets uproot plants and corals - natural food sources to the animals - but first and foremost they trap and ensnare whales, seal lions, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and loads of other aquatic creatures, causing permanent damage or killing them. 

These nets are also called ghost nets when they have been left or lost at sea, and form invisible vertical walls that are impossible for animals to bypass. The nets are made of synthetic materials resistant to rot or breakdown, hence they are left at sea for an indefinite amount of time. Furthermore, the nets are designed to restrict movement, causing starvation, laceration, and infection, as well as suffocation in those that need to return to the surface to breathe.

And that is why I no longer eat fish. Even though it is only a small contribution, you have to start small somewhere. I simply do not support the use of these nets and what the fishing industry is doing.

People may argue for the jobs of the fishermen, but they can use other types of equipment that will not harmful to the ocean and its inhabitants if they want to carry on fishing, or they can find other jobs, because there are other ways for humans to survive in this world. We have opportunities and we have our own voices. We can express what we want and we can change our own circumstances.

The animals, however, that are right now, unknowing what lies ahead, moving closer and closer to an invisible wall that just waits on anything to entrap or ensnare, cannot call for help. Instead of continuing on their ways through the oceans as they have for ages before humans evolved, they fall victims to the mechanisms of a human industry so that people can serve some fish for dinner. 

So how good is some omega-6 and omega-3 really for you? 

Not good enough for me anyway.