Described: 20 Apr 2024 at 18:28
PHUKET- Divers painstakingly collect used fishing equipment, the majority of which is made of plastic, that is tangled on coral and traps sea life. Below the surface of the turquoise waters off a beach on this southeastern resort island.
This discarded or misplaced hunting equipment is known as “ghost equipment,” and it is a problem in waterways off Thailand and beyond, killing marine life and contributing to the degradation of microplastics caused by broken down baskets and ropes over time.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Thailand estimates that the proportion of endangered marine life that is impacted by plastic waste in the middle Andaman Sea off Thailand has increased from 20 % in 2021 to at least 30 % as of 2023.
On a coral reef in Phuket, hidden hunting gear is abounds. ( Photo: Reuters )
Through recovery missions, scuba diving clubs and sea organizations in Thailand have had a trouble tracking the level of the abandoned hunting gear.
According to experts, the lack of a planned approach prevents the development of more thorough and efficient ways to prevent, control, or ban the dumping of fishing equipment.
A scuba diving shows the camera left fishing nets taken from a Phuket coral reef. ( Photo: Reuters )
” We frequently pick up discarded hunting equipment. We have a solid scuba diving area. The Environmental Justice Foundation ( EJF), which is collaborating with other organizations to compile data, said Salisa Traipipitsiriwat, senior campaigner and Southeast Asian plastic manager from the Environmental Justice Foundation ( EJF).
The goal is to assist coastal experts in determining the effects of used fishing items in Thai waters.
” Even though there is variety of waste, there is no standard data series,” Salisa added.
Plasticity floats in the ocean in Phuket. ( Photo: Reuters )
Off the Phuket beach, about 20 volunteer fishermen equipped with underwater products, knives, nets, and books swim down to collect discarded fishing traps, recording data during recovery missions. Additionally, they are encouraging other recreational divers to join their group.
Additionally, the group employs about 500 fishermen to bring in empty nets.
Discarded fishing gear rests on a coral reef in Phuket. ( Photo: Reuters )
The trash is sorted and weighed and, where possible, sent for recycling. EJF has repurposed 130 tons of outdated fishing gear into new products from local fishing communities along Thai coast.
A dead turtle is discovered on the shore in one instance for a necropsy carried out by marine veterinarians. Pieces of rope and plastic are encased inside its stomach.
Plastic waste is one of the primary causes of endangered marine animals washing ashore right now, according to Patcharaporn Kaewmong, the director of Phuket’s marine rescue center.
A scuba diver removes fishing nets that were left over and covering a coral reef in Phuket. ( Photo: Reuters )