‘Country’s largest ghost net’ removed from Marmara Sea

Divers from the Coast Guard Command on June 7 discovered Türkiye's largest ghost net, estimated to have been in the sea for at least a decade, in the Marmara Sea and collected it to recycle.

The net measuring 5,000 square meters was found off Maltepe during the environment week activities in the country. A collaborative effort involving the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's fisheries directorate, the Coast Guard Command, the Marmara and the Straits Regional Command, police's seaport directorate and Gedik University led to the retrieval of the massive ghost net.

After two days of extensive study, experts determined that the net removed from a depth of around 30 meters had been in the sea for a decade, yet marine life still thrived on it. This ghost net is believed to be the largest of its kind in the country.

Güvenç Sorarlı, an academician from Istanbul Gedik University, revealed that the enormous ghost net was discovered attached to a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea.

Sorarlı proposed a solution, stating, "We ask the fishermen to share the coordinates of the nets they leave at the bottom with us, then we will remove them with ships and cranes."

Ata Aksu, another academician from the same university, emphasized the detrimental impact of such ghost nets, saying, "In some cases, snags may occur due to the topographic structure of the seabed. After a while, it starts to prevent the nesting of both fish and other creatures. It causes serious damage to the ecosystem."

Authorities reported that as part of the operation, ghost nets equivalent in size to covering 1.5 football stadiums and 10 acres of land have been removed from the sea and sent for recycling.

Ahmet Yavuz Karaca, the ministry's Istanbul head, announced,...