The danger has passed: an abandoned fishing net was removed from the water in Haifa, before it killed marine creatures

At noon last Saturday (6.5.23), a kitesurfer reported on the SeaWatch application of the Society for the Protection of Nature about a fishing net deployed in the water in the Bat Galim area of ​​Haifa. The report was automatically sent to the marine inspectors of the Nature and Parks Authority and a short time later, they arrived at the scene, recognized that it was a ghost net and within a few hours removed it from the water.

Eyal Orbach, Surfer Kate and resident of Bat Galim, who reported on the fishing net: "It is important to me to keep the sea clean, so when I came across a net when I was at sea I knew I had to report it. Seas with obstacles, especially ghost nets, pose a danger to the diversity of marine nature as well as to surfers and sea lovers on the reefs of Bat Galim ".

Society for the Protection of Nature states that 12 million tons of plastic waste reach the oceans every year and fishing equipment makes up up to 10% of this waste. In addition, about 5.7% of all fishing nets, 8.6% of all traps, and 29% of all fishing lines are lost in the oceans every year and about a third of the debris in the shallow waters is abandoned fishing gear.

Hadas Gan-Perkel, coordinator of the SeaWatch application in the "blue half" of the Society for the Protection of Nature: "If you come across fishing activity this season, it is especially important to report it to ensure that the fish can reproduce quietly, for the sake of future generations - ours and the fish's. Ghost nets are abandoned fishing nets that have already unused and remaining in the sea as waste, but continue to function as a death trap for animals, and may even be dangerous to divers and bathers. Ghost nets are a significant component of the waste found in our seas and beaches and are very dangerous to the marine environment as they continue to function as a death trap for animals long after they are left behind It is very important to remove them from the sea as quickly as possible by a skilled team. Do not try to remove the net yourself because it is a safety hazard. Kudos to Eyal Orbach, the alert reporter, and RTG inspectors for the quick response."

Yigal Ben Ari, The director of the marine unit at the Nature and Parks Authority explains that

״From 1/5 to 30/6 The breeding season has begun in which fishing is prohibited in the Mediterranean Sea, with the exception of the permits defined by the chief fisheries official in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Nature and Parks Authority. The inspectors of the maritime unit will enforce the regulations with determination and sensitivity"

Eyal Miller, Director of the Sea Area in the Northern District of the Nature and Parks Authority, explains: "Ghost nets are a death trap for animals in the sea, and may also endanger swimmers, divers and vessels, so the report was very important. We worked to remove the net as quickly as possible. Ghost nets are a death trap for values Marine life, ranging from large mammals through sea turtles to fish that are caught in a net and become motionless and then lifeless."