MIRI: Ghost nets, also known as the silent killers of the ocean, pose a global threat to marine life. These abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets drift aimlessly in the oceans.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), an estimated 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear are left in the world’s oceans each year. The proliferation of ghost nets is a significant debris problem.
Once discarded, ghost nets can drift for hundreds of kilometres, weighing several tonnes.
In response to the adverse impact of these nets on marine life, a 43-year-old marine eco-activist named Iqbal Abdollah, along with his friends, has been on a mission to hunt for ghost nets via expeditions over the years. Known as ghost net busters, Iqbal and his team have been involved in removing ghost nets since 2014 when he was a member of the Malaysian Nature Society Miri Branch.
“I enrolled myself to be trained as an Eco Diver for Reef Check Malaysia that year, and I learned that coral reefs are actually one of the most important living organisms in human lives as it is one of the major oxygen providers to humans, more than trees on land,” he said.
Iqbal added that one of the threats to coral reefs producing oxygen is ghost nets. Ghost nets not only destroy habitats and disrupt the ecosystem, but they can also cover the coral reefs and block the sunlight necessary for photosynthesis that gives us oxygen.
Additionally, they can entangle marine life, further exacerbating the impact on the ecosystem. Through his work, Iqbal has witnessed the significant impact ghost nets can have on marine life.
In July 2018, he initiated their first Ghost Nets Hunting Operation in Brunei known as Ops Pelong, together with dive instructor Roger Sim and Kassim.
Prior to this operation, Iqbal had participated in several reef cleaning events since 2014, including Pulau Manukan, Taman Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park reef cleaning in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, and also Miri Reef Cleaning at Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park in 2015.
Removing ghost nets is a hazardous diving activity compared to fun dives. It is a complex dive operation that requires time and intensive labor, challenging but also satisfactory, and often requires an extended team including working and safety divers as well as surface support personnel.
According to him, some of the challenges faced by ghost net busters include human, environmental, and equipment factors.
Divers need to be certified as Advanced Open Water Divers with good buoyancy and self-reliance. Divers, without the necessary certification cannot dive beyond the permitted depth level, and most ghost nets are in deep areas ranging from 18 meters up to 30 meters in depth. Without good buoyancy, divers can damage coral reefs that need to be saved, and at times, divers may even become lost underwater. Therefore, they need to learn how to calmly and actively react to these situations.
The underwater environment varies from time to time, with visibility ranging from excellent, up to 50 metres, to poor, as little as 1 metre. The current can be fast or non-existent and swell can significantly impact divers, making them drowsy and leading to vomiting.
Divers need to bring a lot of tools underwater, such as measuring tape, dive knives or scissors, slate, lift bags, surface marker buoy, personal beacon locator, torchlight, mesh bags, and more. Without good skills, divers can pose a risk to the coral reefs and struggle to float underwater.
Since 2018, Iqbal and his team have conducted 16 operations and removed more than 900 kilogrammes of ghost nets and trash. Their latest operation was Ops Kapalai SJ at Kapalai island of Semporna Sabah, with the help of Scuba Junkie Dive Centre in Mabul island.
However, they only remove new ghost nets sighting, as those that have been underwater for more than six months have already caused damage or killed coral reefs.
“We only remove newly sighted ghost nets because those that have been underwater for more than six months have already caused damage or killed coral reefs. Our motivation comes from the fact that beach clean-up or other clean-up activities are often conducted on land, but not many people are able to do it underwater,” he said.
Iqbal and his team are motivated by their skills, the underwater world’s beauty, and the knowledge that they are helping the economy by boosting tourism and assisting relevant government agencies with free clean-up efforts.
“We are willing to do it on behalf of all others who cannot. We are motivated by the fact that we have the necessary skills, the beautiful and magnificent underwater world, and every ghost nets hunting dive is also a fun dive for us. It is a fun dive with a purpose. Our work actually helps the economy by boosting tourism and assists relevant government agencies by providing free clean-up efforts. We have the skills, expertise, equipment, and we dive often,” Iqbal explained.
For the future generations, Iqbal hopes that people are more aware of the importance of coral reefs to humans.
“If they become a diver or fisherman, they should report any sighting of ghost nets to the dive operator as soon as possible. Early reporting can help reduce the cost of cleaning up. If they become a person with influence such as government official, they can establish conservation funding by using fees collected from fishing licenses to remove ghost nets,” he said.
Enforcement agencies can take proactive action to eliminate the use of illegal fishing nets on different fishing zones, illegal fishing vessels, and illegal foreign fishing vessels. Fishermen can encourage reporting of lost and discarded fishing nets to government agencies or dive operators, fish in permitted zones using permitted fishing nets. Media practitioners can help promote good fishing ethics and educate people. Finally, people can discard trash ethically; join beach clean-up activities, and more.
During Iqbal’s first ghost nets removal operation in Brunei, only two professional divers joined the team.
“Since our first operation, we have attracted many volunteers willing to pay a minimum fee to join us, including the Fire and Rescue department (Bomba), Marine Police, Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd, Preveld Oil and Gas Sdn Bhd, Yinson Lavender Sdn Bhd, and individuals from Britain, Singapore, Brunei, and more,” Iqbal shared with New Sarawak Tribune.
“We have conducted ghost nets removal operations in Miri water, Brunei water, and Sabah water. In Miri, we have had excellent cooperation with the Northern Sarawak Journalist Association, Miri (NSJA) Divers, the Dive Squad, and state ministers such as Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin, Datuk Sebastian Ting, and Miri Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang,” he added.
The dive site is located from 30 minutes up to an hour speedboat journey from Miri Marina. The operation is conducted on an impromptu or pre-organised basis depending on the initial assessment of the surrounding area where the ghost nets are sighted. All ghost nets hunting and removing is conducted by Borneo Ghost Nets Hunter, a specialised diver volunteer team under the management of Future Ocean Borneo PLT.
