Two sea turtles deeply entangled in abandoned fishing nets washed up on a Phuket beach in late June, according to the Bangkok Post.
What happened?
A distressing photo provided by the Bangkok Post shows locals and tourists frantically trying to cut a large mound of fishing net, containing two sea turtles, that washed up on the shoreline on Layan Beach, Phuket.
In the photo, among the tangled mess, a sea turtle can be seen lying helplessly on its back as the community attempts to pull the turtle out of the fishing nets. While they successfully saved one, releasing it back into the sea, the other sea turtle was beyond saving.
It is unclear what species the sea turtles were. However, the most common sea turtles in Phuket, Thailand, are the Green sea turtle and the Hawksbill sea turtle, according to Snorkeling Thailand.
On average, adult green turtles weigh between 250 and 400 pounds, according to NOAA Fisheries, and adult Hawksbill turtles weigh between 100 and 150 pounds, according to NOAA Fisheries.
Each of the beached sea turtles that washed up on shore weighed between 66 and 88 pounds, per the Bangkok Post, indicating either juvenile sea turtles or adult sea turtles that had starved significantly, being stranded by the abandoned fishing nets.
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Why is ghost fishing gear concerning?
This isn't the first time that sea turtles and other marine life have washed up on shore on this Phuket beach, according to the Bangkok Post. The local community is known to be vigilant heroes in rescuing stranded marine life.
Despite these rescues, however, the root of the problem remains: Abandoned fishing gear continues to jeopardize innocent marine life in large bodies of water everywhere, potentially leading to injury, illness, or death.
Whales, dolphins, and even young seals have been caught in plastic fishing netting, hindering their ability to swim, hunt for food, and reproduce.
The plastic waste left in the ocean also contaminates the water with microplastics that can harm aquatic life and nearby coastal communities.
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Definitely 👍 What's being done about ghost fishing gear?
Reducing the amount of lost fishing gear in the ocean starts with educating fisheries and individuals who fish at sea on the best fishing and gear management practices to avoid losing gear. If gear has been lost, these parties should report it to the appropriate channels to effectively retrieve the gear before it negatively impacts aquatic life.
On the manufacturing and production side of fishing gear — especially for commercial fisheries — companies can help reduce the amount of ghost fishing gear in the water by incorporating a tracker of sorts to tag the gear so that it may be retrieved if lost.
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