Illegal Drift Nets on the Rise Causing Increased Entanglement of Marine Life

Many fishing operations are ignoring bans on drift nets, which is leading to an excess of dolphins, whales, and other marine life getting trapped. In many cases, getting stuck in these nets can be deadly.

These nets are called “walls of death” because of the brutal impact on marine life. In Italy, the coast guard has taken over 62 miles of drift nets in 2020, a huge increase from 2019. Experts say those are just estimates and could be much higher.

Carmelo Isgrò, a marine biologist and director of the Museum of the Sea in the Sicilian town of Milazzo, told the Guardian that the Italian coast guard called him to help free a sperm whale that was caught in the illegal nets, “It was a very difficult operation because the whale was so powerful, and if you are struck by its tail you could be killed.”

Drift nets are mesh nets designed to catch small fish. These “nets” can be up to 50km in length and 50m in depth. Even though they have been banned since 2002 for use in EU waters, they’re still readily used in the areas. Francesco Mirabito, an environmental activist based in Sicily, told the Guardian, “In the EU regulations, the definition of the nets is not precise enough. Fishermen at the docks are really tranquil, doing everything in daylight because they know they won’t be caught. Then, at sea, they know it’s impossible for authorities to check on all of them. Even if their nets are seized it’s not a big deal – they are made in China for a tenth of the price it used to be.”

Source: Sea Shepherd/Youtube

“The impact of these drift nets is absolutely disastrous,” Vanya Vulperhorst, campaign director of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing at Oceana Europe, told the Guardian. “They are indiscriminate in what they trap, and the result is that endangered and protected species are being killed in large numbers.”

Read more about driftnets in One Green Planet,  check out Nets Designed to Capture Small Fish Are Killing Oceans and Global Consequences of Overfishing.

Sign this petition to end driftnets!

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