Healthy Seas, Hyundai and Ghost Diving Lead Major Operation

PRESS RELEASE

Addressing Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter from Abandoned Fish Farms: A  Comprehensive Mission of Clean-up, Education, and Community Engagement 

May 29th, 2024 – Western Greece – Healthy Seas, in collaboration with Hyundai, has  successfully inaugurated an extensive clean-up operation targeting abandoned fish  farms along the Western Greece coast. This initiative, which began with a ten-day  intensive sea clean-up by Ghost Diving volunteers paralleled a land and coastal  cleanup by other volunteers, marks the start of a year-long commitment to reclaim  polluted and dangerous waters, promoting healthier marine environments for local  communities and aquatic life. 

Mission Overview: 

Objective: The primary goal of this mission is to reclaim waters polluted and rendered  dangerous by abandoned fish farms. This effort aims to restore these waters for marine  life, coastal communities, and recreational activities. 

Duration: The initial clean-up operation lasted ten days, involving extensive efforts from  Ghost Diving volunteers and other partners. However, this is just the beginning of a  year-long series of clean-up operations and awareness-raising activities planned for  various locations in Greece. 

Locations: Over the course of the first two weeks, two significant locations were  tackled: one near Patras and another in Ithaca. In Ithaca, the aim was to clean the  deeper part of the fish farm that we couldn’t address in previous missions. The Ghost  Diving teams have now deployed CCR rebreathers to safely concentrate on the deeper  areas between 30 – 60m and will continue their activities exclusively with this  equipment. 

Partners: This mission is a collaborative effort between the Healthy Seas foundation  and Hyundai Motor Europe, supported by a diverse group of organizations and  institutional partners. 

Acknowledgements are extended to the volunteer divers of Ghost Diving.

Associated partners are: Aquafil, Diopas, Ozon, the European Outdoor Education Hub,  Odyssey Outdoor Activities, and DOTANK Plus, which worked as our impact strategy  and project development advisor. We also appreciate the support from our institutional  partners: the Municipality of Nafpaktia, Municipality of Xiromero, Municipality of Ithaca,  the Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian, the  Hellenic Public Real Estate Agency of Aetolia-Acarnania, and the Port Authority of  Nafpaktos. This project operates under the auspices of the Region of Western Greece  and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Greece. 

Ecological and Social Impact: 

Ecological Impact: The clean-up addressed the ecological damage caused by  abandoned fish farms, which release debris, plastics, and pollutants into the marine  environment. These pollutants disrupt marine ecosystems, endangering flora and  fauna. 

Social Impact: The operation also aimed to restore safe waters for local communities,  who rely on clean seas for tourism and leisure. Healthy seas are a fundamental right,  and this mission highlights the struggle of coastal communities affected by marine  litter. 

Educational and Community Involvement: 

As part of raising awareness about this growing problem, Healthy Seas and Hyundai  organized educational programs in collaboration with local universities and schools.  These included events at the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Fisheries  and Aquaculture, and the Department of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of  

Patras, as well as schools in Astakos and Nafpaktos. The European Outdoor Education  Hub also participated, reclaiming the outdoors for children through marine litter  education. 

Community Engagement: These activities aimed to educate the next generation and the  community about the importance of protecting our seas from plastic pollution focusing  on the negative socio-environmental impact of abandoned fish farms. Also, one of the  achievements of this project is that the final results were an outcome of a multi stakeholder collaboration and coordination, involving local, national and international  partners.

Future Plans: 

Healthy Seas and Hyundai are committed to continuing this vital work throughout the  year. This mission marks the beginning of a long-term effort to clean up abandoned fish  farms in Greece and beyond. Future plans include more clean-up operations and  initiatives to promote awareness and action. Our survey at the beginning, conducted in  collaboration with OZON covered 440-450 nautical miles and identified 150 possible  locations of scattered fish farming-related waste along the coastline. Through empirical  evidence, this survey highlights the extensive nature of the problem, indicating that we  are dealing with potentially many abandoned sites. This operation extends the scope of  previous efforts, such as the single-location clean-ups in Ithaca in 2021 and 2022, by  committing to multiple locations and longer-term engagement. 

Litter Collection and Recycling: 

The initial operation successfully removed 42.7 tons of marine litter, which has been  sorted and will be recycled. This included a variety of materials posing threats to marine  life. Notably, we collected large nets used in fish farming operations (11.3 tons of the  total), predominantly found entangled on the seabed, endangering fish and marine  animals. Additionally, we retrieved surface structures such as rings or cages made of  pipes and polystyrene, designed to float. Alongside these, scattered pieces of  polystyrene and various plastics washed ashore from the farms, further contributing to  marine pollution. Abandonment of these sites also led to the accumulation of  additional litter on the beaches, including broken boats, ropes, plastic bottles, and  fishing lines. 

Nylon fish farm nets will be sent to Aquafil via our partner Diopas for recycling into new  products, demonstrating a full-circle approach to marine litter management. Other  type of nets will be received by our partner Bracenet, and other type of waste will be  processed for recycling locally.

Quotes: 

Veronika Mikos, Director of Healthy Seas: 

“Clean waters should be a right for all coastal communities around the world. Our  mission goes beyond just cleaning up; it’s about reclaiming these waters for marine life  and the people who depend on them. Collaboration is key in projects like this, where  the private sector can support the public, raise awareness on pressing issues, and offer  tangible solutions. We are grateful to our partners and volunteers who are making this  possible.” 

Elvira Herrera, Corporate Communications Expert at Hyundai Motor Europe:

“Hyundai’s ‘Progress for Humanity’ vision is reflected in our partnership with Healthy  Seas. By addressing the problem of abandoned fish farms and marine litter, we are not  only protecting marine ecosystems but also supporting coastal communities. This  initiative is a testament to our dedication to a more sustainable future and making a  positive impact on the environment.” 

Pascal van Erp, Founder of Ghost Diving: 

“We are incredibly proud of our volunteer divers who have generously donated their  time and expertise to this critical project. Tackling industrial-scale pollution is no easy  task, but through coordinated efforts and unwavering dedication, we are making a  significant impact on the health of our marine environments. This operation in Western  Greece showcases the strength of our procedures and systems at Ghost Diving,  allowing us to manage large-scale projects with numerous teams efficiently and  safely.” 

Conclusion: 

This mission’s success is a testament to the power of collaboration and commitment in  tackling marine pollution. By reclaiming these waters, Healthy Seas and Hyundai have  not only restored the marine environment but also empowered local communities to  reclaim their right to clean seas. 

Healthy Seas and Hyundai encourage continued support, awareness, and involvement  from the community and stakeholders to address the pressing issue of ocean pollution. 

About Healthy Seas:

Healthy Seas Foundation is dedicated to safeguarding the world’s oceans and seas  through three key pillars: clean-up, education, and prevention of marine litter. 

Our primary mission is to tackle the problem of marine debris, with a particular  emphasis on fishing nets, to promote healthier aquatic ecosystems. Over the past  decade, we have forged collaborations with volunteer divers, educators, fishermen,  harbour authorities, and waste managers on a global scale. 

While we are engaged in repurposing marine litter into innovative products through  partnerships, our core focus remains on marine conservation. Together with 150  partners and nearly 550 dedicated volunteers, we have collected 991 tons of fishing  nets and other marine litter since our inception in 2013. 

About Ghost Diving: 

Ghost Diving is a registered charity in The Netherlands, founded in 2012 by technical  divers active in the removal of lost fishing gear and other marine debris. Ghost Diving is  the largest and most experienced global diving organization specialized in the “ghost  fishing” phenomenon with a track record in a wide variety of countries and international  waters. 

Ghost Diving volunteers are operating in their free time and carry out innovative and  challenging nature conservation projects independent or with the help of known and  unknown fellow environmental organizations.