Supporting Ghostnet Campaign for Sea Shepherd

Sea Shepherd begin new build of their vessel ‘Spectre’

The work on @seashepherduk new campaign vessel, 'Spectre' continued over the weekend! Volunteers Mark and Matt to continue stripping out some of the old wiring looms and instruments. Scanstrut and Raymarine UK are proud supporters, we have both kitted them out with the latest tech which will help them locate ghost gear much more efficiently whilst keeping thier divers and crew as safe as possible whilst at sea.

Scanstrut has supplied one of it PTM-R1 Taped Mast Mounts, which is a single combination mount for radar, lights, GPS/VHF antennas, cameras or searchlights, with each item perfectly positioned for maximum performance. This is the perfect partner for the Raymarine Quantum Radar and Flir Thermal imagine cameras.

A Scanstrut PTM-R1 Tappered Mast with Raymarine Quantum Radar and Flir Thermal Camera

What is Sea Shepherd UKʼs Ghostnet Campaign?

As part of a wider effort by Sea Shepherd to combat the issue of discarded fishing gear, Sea Shepherd UK launched its Ghostnet Campaign in January 2018 to concentrate on known problem areas around UK coastal waters but in 2020 our campaign is going global with our divers already being deployed to the waters of Bahrain.

The Ghostnet campaign utilizes highly experienced volunteer divers and Sea Shepherd UK’s fast boats to survey UK waters looking for discarded fishing gear (DFG) and recover it for safe disposal or recycling. The divers are deployed to a potential or reported ghostgear site on one of Sea Shepherd UKʼs four Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) where underwater 3D scanners pinpoint wrecks and sites to dive. Our crew look for wrecks located particularly near intensive netting and creel fishing areas as the equipment often becomes snagged on wrecks and rocks and we check nearby areas as the water currents move the ghostgear along the sea bed to other underwater features where it may become entangled.

The divers will survey the wreck to ensure that the net or pot can be removed safely and that it hasnʼt been down there so long as to have actually formed a habitat for marine life. Enormous care is taken not to damage the wrecks and we work in conjunction with the UKʼs Maritime Management Organizations (MMO), Natural England and Historic England who have approved our method statements and we obtain official permits whenever applicable.

Why is so much Fishing Gear lost or discarded?

There are many reasons that fishing gear is lost or discarded at sea:

1. Entanglement with other vessels gear, snagging on wrecks or on natural topography such as reefs and rocks
2. Fishing nets and lines breaking loose or having to be cut free for vessel safety reasons
3. Risky deployment in poor sea conditions
4. Illegal discarding of unwanted fishing gear while at sea to avoid safe disposal costs back on shore

Report Ghost Fishing Gear to Sea Shepherd

If you spot ghost fishing gear around the coast of the UK, please let them know right away! Visit their Ghost Fishing Gear Report page which can be found here https://seashepherduk.wufoo.com/forms/pcbdko81mkx0cf/