On 13 June 2024, a 17-year-old teenager from Shandong Province drowned near Dragon Lake Wetland Park in Magpie Mountain, Jinan. Rescuers surmised that the teenager accidentally fell into the water while playing with a paddle board in the lake and became entangled in an underwater fishing net, which ultimately led to the tragedy. The accident is not only heartbreaking, but also raises serious concerns about the potential threat of “ghost fishing gear”. The Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) shares his views on this issue. (The following is based on Dr Zhou’s audio recording and has not been verified by him, it is for reference only.)
Question 1: Does abandoned fishing gear in rivers and wetlands fall into the category of “ghost fishing gear”? The drowning of the teenager is saddening. In addition to his own reasons, are other parties responsible?
Dr Zhou: “Ghost fishing gear” in the ocean refers to the fishing gear that has been abandoned, discarded or broken, resulting in its long survival in the ocean. This type of gear poses a considerable threat to marine life, mainly because of the vulnerability of marine life to entanglement in the gear and to accidental ingestion of the gear, hence the term “ghost fishing gear”. Does this concept exist in rivers?
There are many kinds of abandoned fishing gears with broken nets and filaments, including some submerged fishing gears, in rivers. However, abandoned fishing gears in rivers have not received so much attention, probably mainly because the rivers are relatively small in size, and the impacts of abandoned fishing gears on aquatic organisms in the rivers are not particularly significant. However, due to the urgency of our current conservation tasks, ghost fishing gear in rivers also still has a great harmful effect, and the threats to aquatic organisms include tragic entanglement and accidental ingestion by aquatic life.
The tragic incident of a 17-year-old high school student who drowned after being entangled in a fishing net during a wild swim at Longhu Wetland Park in Magpie Mountain, Jinan, Shandong Province, has once again sounded the alarm for us. Of course, we have not been able to determine whether the fishing net was a ghost fishing net or a fishing net in use. Nowadays, a wide variety of fishing nets are commonly found in many rivers, many of which are illegal.
In the case of the young man who was entangled in a fishing net in a river, it’s believed that the person who laid the net or abandoned it is largely to blame. In this case, the net was responsible for injuring a human life, but how many aquatic organisms were injured by the net? We do not know at present; but it is conceivable that the number should be considerable. It is because for human life cases, there is a high degree of concern, but the chances are actually very small. The fact that such a small probability of events have occurred, that is to say: the ubiquity of this kind of fishing nets and its harmfulness, is very shocking. We should take advantage of this incident to raise our awareness of safety, self-protection and the potential risks of abandoned fishing gear in the river, which is not only related to personal safety, but also to the ecological environment of the wetland and the safety of aquatic life. We hope that we can learn a lesson from this incident, safeguard “Lucid waters” and build a shared community of life on earth together.
Photo: A fishing village. By Siying Lu (Malaysia). Painting for the 5th International Children’s Environmental Protection Public Service Painting Competition. Pic irrelevant with the content of the article.
Question 2: Is the park responsible for the death of a teenager in the wetland park due to the entanglement of discarded fishing gear in the river?
Dr. Zhou: Since I am not an expert, I cannot give an authoritative answer. However, generally speaking, wetland parks should also take the responsibility of protecting wetlands, among which what’s crucial is that this type of fishing nets should be totally avoided & prohibited from entering wetland parks, not only for the purpose of protecting human lives, but also for the sake of the lives of aquatic organisms, as well as the ecosystem.
This kind of fishing net is an irrational disturbance of nature by human beings. After all, the Wetland Park is not a fishing ground, therefore, the local management concerned should take the initiative to assume the responsibility of ecological protection. If it is a park at the same time, the park should assume responsibility for the safety of park visitors, in my opinion, there is no doubt that the wetland park is a major responsibility.
(Pls note: This article is based on Dr Zhou’s audio recording and has not been verified by him, it is for reference ONLY.. Feel free to leave your comments, reviews, criticisms and discussions.)
Original Chinese Articles:
山东17岁高考生被渔网缠绕不幸溺亡：幽灵渔具，谁的责任？| 周道生态文明（294讲）
河湖隐患：“幽灵渔具”暗藏杀机，山东17岁高考生野泳被渔网困住溺亡！济南鹊山龙湖湿地公园能免责吗？
Editor | Samantha
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