Pembrokeshire’s marine wildlife is finding itself under increased threat as sea and waterway litter continues to rise at an alarming rate.
Recreational fishing gear including weights, rods, hooks and endless quantities of line are the chief culprits resulting in the death of fish, birds, seals, dolphins, porpoises and many other marine species.
Earlier this week a team of local divers – Neptune’s Army of Rubbish Cleaners - carried out a major litter-collection exercise off the islands of Skomer and Grassholm and their results were staggering.
Items recovered included a toilet seat, a vast amount of discarded fishing equipment and dozens of lost or irretrievable fishing pots containing a large quantity of fish life.
“Day one we focussed on Wooltack Point in the Skomer Reserve then Nab Head, Stack Rocks and the Howney Stone and on day two we started in Chapel Bay, worked off the wreck of a pilot boat and then off to West Hook for an angling clean up,” said Narc diver, David Kennard.
“People ask if we feel disheartened by the litter we find on the seabed and as divers, while we’re lucky to be able to enjoy this wonderful slice of the national geographic world, we also want to remove all the litter we find. We do it for a purpose.”
David Kennard speaks with a passion and determination that bears testament to his commitment to marine conservation.
“Soon after Narc was set up back in 2005, we did an angling clean-up in Stackpole Quay and found no fewer than 600 weights which equated to around 72 kilos of lead which would obviously have resulted in the death of thousands of fish. And the monofilament lines used by recreational fishermen take up to 500 years to degrade so this is causing a great deal of damage to the corals around Pembrokeshire.
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“A lot of researchers will spend money travelling to exotic places to study marine conservation but I don’t believe they have to. If they visited Grassholm they’d see gannets nesting in rubbish and netting.”
The Narc divers descend in buddies of two, armed with scissors, bags, trays and air-filled lifting bags and their dives can last for up to an hour.
The litter is bagged and sent to the surface for retrieval by a support boat and then cleaned, sorted, recorded and recycled wherever possible.
In addition to the fishing litter, other items recovered include shopping trolleys, mobile phones, bicycles, skate boards, and even a car which was found off Hobbs Point, Pembroke Dock.
The Narc calendar is coming to an end for 2022 but already next year’s schedule has been drawn up with eight-two-day dives taking place between April and September.
For further information on Narc, visit https://www.narcdiving.org.uk/
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