June 21, 2019

SUFB 813: Tracking Ghost Nets

SUFB 813: Tracking Ghost Nets

Ghost nets are a huge problem in the Ocean. Fishing nets that are discarded in the Ocean continue to catch fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds in numbers in the hundreds of thousands.  It is estimated that half of the marine debris in...

Ghost nets are a huge problem in the Ocean. Fishing nets that are discarded in the Ocean continue to catch fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds in numbers in the hundreds of thousands. 

It is estimated that half of the marine debris in the Ocean is made up of Ghost Nets. We have to make sure that we don't put any more nets into the sea, but it would also be great to get rid of some of the ghost nets that are already out there. 

Ocean Voyages Institute's Founder, Mary T. Crowley, is already in the process to clean up some of the ghost nets. Mary and her colleagues handed out GPS units to mariners and asked them to attach the units to ghost nets. The Ocean Voyages Institute's crew used satellite trackers to collect 40 tons of nets. 

Mary wants to hand out more GPS units this year (150), but each unit costs $1600. If you would like to donate to Ocean Voyages Institute to help them reach their goal, then click here.

Do you think we should be removing ghost nets? Share your thoughts in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

Want to get started on living for a better Ocean? Sign up for the Grove Collaborative and get a free gift: http://www.speakupforblue.com/goocean.

Check out the new Speak Up For The Ocean Blue Podcast App: http://www.speakupforblue.com/app.

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