95 football fields’ worth of ghost nets removed from Marmara Sea
A Turkish marine conservation group has removed an estimated 650,000 square meters of abandoned fishing gear — equivalent to roughly 95 football fields — from the Marmara Sea and other Turkish waters over the past decade, highlighting the growing threat posed by so-called “ghost nets” to marine ecosystems.
According to Volkan Narcı, president of the Marine Life Conservation Society, ghost nets — fishing gear lost or abandoned at sea — continue trapping and killing marine life long after they are discarded. Made largely from plastic materials, the nets can remain on the seabed for decades, entangling species ranging from sharks and sea turtles to fish and seabirds.
“Over the last 10 years, we have removed 650,000 square meters of ghost nets from the seabed using our own resources,” Narcı said. “If left underwater, these nets threaten hundreds of species and contribute to microplastic pollution as they gradually break down.”
The organization now operates a dedicated ghost-net vessel capable of locating abandoned gear at depths of up to 50 meters. Nets are recovered through a combination of diving operations and specialized equipment, often following reports from fishermen, divers and local residents.
