Diving team removes abandoned fishing net from Umm Deira coral reefs weighing 200 kilograms
The Kuwaiti Environmental Voluntary Foundation’s diving team has removed a 200-kilogram abandoned fishing net from the coral reefs of Umm Deira, located nine meters underwater north of Qaruh Island.
Team leader Walid Al-Fadhel told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Monday that the fishing nets had become entangled with the coral reefs, harming marine life, including fish and other marine creatures, while also damaging the coral itself.
Al-Fadhel noted that the divers were able to remove the nets and rescue the trapped marine creatures, thanks to their extensive experience and the careful use of air bags, backpacks, and other diving equipment, ensuring no harm was done to the site.
He said abandoned fishing nets pose numerous dangers, including suffocating and killing coral, as well as killing fish and other organisms that coexist within the reefs, negatively affecting wildlife, disrupt the ecological balance, and present a risk to marine navigation and divers.
Al-Fadhel further explained that the Umm Deira reef area comprises three adjacent sites of varying sizes, located 13 kilometers north of Qaruh Island and 50 kilometers from the Al Khairan coast.
He said if any fishing nets get entangled, the incident should be reported to the Kuwait Diving Team, the Coast Guard, or the Environment Public Authority immediately,
Al-Fadhel said the team is involved in several projects, including the “Marine Anchors” project, which has placed 108 marine anchors at coral reef sites, and the “Removal of Nets from Coral Reefs” project.
The team is also working on the “Jaber Al-Kuwait Marine Reserves” project, which includes 25 artificial coral reef colonies, as well as a “Coral Farming” project.
Other initiatives include the “Boat Recovery” project and the “Monitoring and Documenting Coral Reef Sites and Assessing Their Health” project, in cooperation with the University of Queensland in Australia.
Al-Fadhel also highlighted the team’s distribution of publications and photographs of Kuwait’s coral reefs to raise environmental awareness across various sectors of society.
