Business Daily Media

.

Healthy Seas joins hands with Ghost Diving Hong Kong to remove gill nets in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 23 March 2023 - In conjunction with World Water Day, Healthy Seas is proud to announce it has expanded its geographic focus and launches activities to Hong Kong.



Healthy Seas is an environmental nonprofit organization founded in 2013 that began its marine conservation work in the Netherlands. Today, the organisation operates in 20 countries throughout the world, including many countries in Europe, the United States, New Zealand and through its recent collaboration with Ghost Diving Korea and now Ghost Diving Hong Kong, has expanded to Asia, with regular activities in the Sai Kung Area - Port Shelter, Nine Pins Island Group, East Dam with regular ghost net cleanup projects.

Ghost net removal

On March 18th, the Ghost Diving Hong Kong volunteer team kicked off its collaboration with Healthy Seas and with support from DWS Group, successfully recovered about 120kgs of gill nets in the area of Sharp Island, Hap Mun Bay, Sai Kung. Although gill nets are typically very light, they are also the deadliest type of marine litter to marine animals.

Recently, the volunteers had recovered another 150 meters of net from the same location, while a third dive will be necessary and planned in the upcoming period to remove the nets that are still left underwater and continuing to threaten marine life.

"We are extremely proud to be working with Healthy Seas and the Ghost Diving Foundation in order to remove these nets and through our work we hope to spread the message and educate the Hong Kong community to the important role we all share to remove marine pollution, not just ghost gear but debris of all forms," says Andrew Couch, Coordinator of Ghost Diving Hong Kong

The ghost fishing problem

It is estimated that 640,000 tons of fishing gear are lost or abandoned in the seas and oceans each year. It is plastic waste that does not biodegrade, remaining hundreds of years in the environment, all the while losing tiny particles called microplastics that end up in the food chain. The phenomenon takes the name "ghost fishing" because the nets that are made to appear invisible underwater are trapping and killing all manner of marine animals including turtles, fish, mammals and birds that get entangled, suffer and eventually die.

Fishing practices & trawling ban in Hong Kong

Capture fishing and aquaculture have a long history in Hong Kong, with the conservation of the environment and the well being of the fishing industry being at the forefront of the Hong Kong government's agenda. Over the past few years, there has been a proactive approach to promote the conservation and preservation of Hong Kong's marine habitat.

Since December 2012, there has been a ban on trawling within Hong Kong coastal waters to try to restore the damaged seabed. Combined with the Fisheries Protection Ordinance which is designed to regulate the size of local fishing vessels, these efforts aim at controlling fishing practices that resulted in the depletion and destruction of Hong Kong's marine biodiversity.

Despite the efforts that have been made to conserve Hong Kong's marine environment, there still remain challenges for the protection of the sea and coastline surrounding Hong Kong. For example, the numerous small speed boats that operate daily and deploy fine gill nets often for hundreds of meters along the sea floor. These are often lost or discarded becoming a major hazard to all marine life as well as the divers who enjoy Hong Kong's waters. Volunteer divers also encounter the remains of nets from the trawlers that were lost or abandoned long ago and caught on submerged rocks and reefs (both natural and artificial) and aim to remove them from the ocean floor.

Hashtag: #HealthySeas

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Healthy Seas

Healthy Seas is a non-profit organisation with a mission to remove waste from the seas, in particular fishing nets, and ensure marine litter will become a valuable resource. Nylon fishing nets are regenerated into yarn, a high-quality raw material used to create new products, such as socks, swimwear, sportswear or carpets, while other types of plastic nets are also reused, becoming jewelry, accessories or provided for research and education purposes. Since its founding in 2013, Healthy Seas has collected over 905 tons of fishing nets and other marine litter with the help of volunteer divers and fishers.

News from Asia

Dubai retains No.1 global ranking for attracting Greenfield FDI projects

Dubai achieves 89.5% YoY growth in total announced FDI projects in 2022 compared to 2021 Dubai attracts total estimated FDI Capital of AED47 billion ($12.8 billion) in 2022 and creat...

Leading child mental health organisations call for global action against infant, child and adolescent trauma

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 30 May 2023 - Research has shown that most mental disorders develop in childhood and adolescence before the age of 25, with one-quarter of years lived by young people ...

"Collaboration with the GBA - Opportunities for Youth and Industries in the Northern Metropolis Forum Series" Showcase New Development Insight with Innovative and Creative Industry Landscape for Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 30 May 2023 - Steering Committee on the Northern Metropolis and the Advisory Committee on the Northern Metropolis have been set up in March 2023...

HKU spin-off company Stellaris AI Unveils Ground-breaking Language Model "Stellaris GPT"

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 30 May 2023 - In a game-changing announcement, Stellaris AI, a trailblazing spin-off company from the HKU Department of Computer Science (CS), introduced Stellaris...

Bowtie Achieved HK$60 Billion In Protection in Four Years

Defends championship title in direct sales channel once again with 30% market share HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 30 May 2023 - Bowtie, Hong Kong's first virtual insurer, will share key finan...

Two Jockey Club innovation and technology teaching content to be adopted and adapted in EDB Curriculum Modules

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 30 May 2023 - Content from two initiatives supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust to promote innovation and technology (I&T) in pri...

imBee and FUTR Strategy Alliance Puts the Power of Conversational Commerce In the Hands of Indonesian Consumers

Partnership unlocks potential for brands to tap into the USD146 billion Indonesian internet economy and streamline internal collaboration with the power of chat, paves way for imBee’s Southeast A...

COMPUTEX 2023 Best Choice of the Year Awarded to MSI Z790 GODLIKE

Best Choice Award Winners to be Announced on May 30th & Displayed at the Best Choice Award Pavilion during the Exhibition TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Media OutReach - 30 May 2023 - The Taipei Computer ...

GUCCI announces Vietnamese Superstar Sơn Tùng M-TP as the exclusive "Friend of the House" in Vietnam

First Male GUCCI FOH in Vietnam Exclusively & Surpasses 4 Million Streams Globally with his Latest English Single "MAKING MY WAY" HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM - Media OutReach - 31 May 2023 - Luxury f...

Merck Study: mRNA Technology a ‘Game Changer’ for Asia-Pacific Vaccine Manufacturers

87% of respondents deemed mRNA a key modality for the future More than 60% vaccine makers surveyed plan revamp or new facilities for mRNA manufacturing to meet demand Skil...

Business Reports

Getting Social Security on a more stable path is hard but essential – 2 experts suggest a way forward

No big Social Security reforms have taken effect since the Reagan administration.David Hume Kennerly/Getty ImagesSocial Security is in trouble. The retirement and disability program has been running a cash-flow deficit since 2010...

War in Ukraine might give the Chinese yuan the boost it needs to become a major global currency -- and be a serious contender against the US dollar

China and the U.S. compete to be the world's largest economy, but the dollar dominates the yuan as a currency.peng song/Moment Collection/Getty ImagesThe Chinese economy’s sheer size and rapid growth are impressive.China mai...

Paycepaid recruits Former GoCardless Executive David Howgate

Emerging debt collection software provider, Paycepaid, has announced the appointment of David Howgate, a former executive at GoCardless, as its new Head of Sales. With his extensive experience in the global payments industry, ...