Ghost Fishing New Zealand Oriental Bay Clean Up

Overview

Underwater ghosts are not the friendly type of ghost. Ghost Fishing is lost and discarded fishing gear which gets lodged underwater and continues to lure and catch fish for decades, possibly even centuries, afterwards. As well as depleting fish stocks these tangled old ghosts of previous fishing trips snag flesh-and-bones fisher folks' attempts at catching fish.

Ghost Fishing events are held around the world including here in Wellington where even Mayor Justin Lester gets involved. Local divers hauled out a staggering 8,000 litres of junk (including 41 truck tyres) last time, and our man Justin donned a wetsuit and filled up four bags of rubbish.

If you're an experienced diver and keen to get involved you can contact the group through their Facebook page, or if you'd prefer to stay on dry land, wander down to Oriental Bay on Sunday to check out the ghosts busted from down below.