Sea Shepherd Triples Net-Pulling Operation

ByrobkorhonenSeptember 17, 2024No Comments

Sea Shepherd Triples Net-Pulling Operation

This week, Sea Shepherd's flagship, the M/V Seahorse is upgrading its crane to triple its ghost net-pulling capacity in the UNESCO-recognized habitat of the most endangered marine mammal on earth, the Vaquita.

Ghost nets drift for months and even years, entangling and often killing marine life, and pushing some species to the brink of extinction. Over the last ten years, Sea Shepherd has removed more than 1,000 deadly ghost nets and other debris from the protected area of the Vaquita Refuge. But we need to do more.

Scientists estimate that ghost gear makes up at least 10% of marine litter. This roughly translates to between 500,000 and 1 million tons of fishing gear abandoned in the ocean each year, causing the death of thousands of fish, sharks, whales, dolphins, seals, and sea turtles every year. One study suggests that three quarters of the macroplastics in the ocean are the result of the fishing industry, and more than 80% of the infamous Pacific garbage patch's 42,000 tons of megaplastics is discarded fishing gear.

In the Upper Gulf of California these nets continue to ensnare whales, sea lions, totoaba and vaquita. Sea Shepherd has removed approximately 10,000 animals from these nets including species that are listed by the IUCN as threatened and endangered, and we are developing partnerships for removing ghost gear from sea lions.

Keeping the protected areas free of ghost nets is essential to the survival of the Vaquita. This month, the one-tone crane on the M/V Seahorse is being replaced by a three-ton crane, tripling the vessel's net-pulling capacity and bringing more relief to the endangered Vaquita and at-risk Totoaba.

"Our job is to constantly improve our protection of these species, and this new crane is a massive step forward," remarked Sea Shepherd CEO Pritam Singh. "Tripling our ability to pull these ghost nets from the ocean is made possible by our dedicated supporters. This new crane is good news for the Vaquita, as well as rays, sharks, whales and many more species that get caught in discarded fishing gear. It's one more step forward in our ability to help protect the ocean, and I can't wait to see it in action soon."

Once the new crane and other repairs are complete, the Seahorse will return to the Upper Gulf and kick-off Sea Shepherd's 11th year of working with the Mexican Government to protect the vaquita porpoise.