Marine conservation efforts target ghost nets in North and Baltic Seas

Efforts to combat marine pollution in the North and Baltic Seas are intensifying through community action and volunteer diving. The media and knowledge project OstseeRoyal has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the professional search and recovery of ‘ghost nets’—lost fishing gear that poses a significant threat to marine life.

According to WWF Deutschland, an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 pieces of netting are lost in the Baltic Sea annually. These nets can continue to trap animals, creating a cycle of death, and eventually break down into microplastics that enter the food chain. OstseeRoyal’s initiative aims to support recovery efforts, noting that most net losses result from accidents rather than intentional disposal.

In the North Sea, the volunteer organization Ghost Diving Germany is actively deploying divers to locate and remove these hazardous nets from shipwrecks and the seabed. These divers work to prevent marine animals, such as seals, fish, and whales, from becoming entangled in abandoned gear, with the goal of bringing the recovered materials to land for recycling.