Hong Kong volunteers show war on marine pollution knows no borders with joint effort in the Philippines
- Group of 10 led by veteran diver hunt ghost nets which ensnare aquatic life
- They spent a week in Talisay City sharing experiences and working with local NGO
A group of Hong Kong volunteers have shown that the war on marine pollution has no borders, as they flew to the Philippines to join locals in the fight against the ocean’s silent killers – ghost nets or abandoned fishing nets that ensnare aquatic life.
The group of about 10, led by veteran diver Harry Chan who has been hunting ghost nets in Hong Kong waters for five years, spent a week from July 24 to 30 in Talisay City in the Philippine province of Cebu, retrieving underwater ghost nets and sharing their experience with local divers.
“Ghost nets are not a problem limited to Hong Kong. It is a global issue,” Chan says.
These are fishing nets lost or abandoned in the ocean. They are left tangled on rocky reefs or adrift at sea, trapping fish, dolphins, sharks and other creatures, often leading to their death.
The UN estimates that there are roughly 640,000 tonnes of ghost nets in the world’s oceans, accounting for 10 per cent of total plastic waste in the sea.