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The ghost nets that threaten (also) the Cypriot coasts

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Τα δΙχτυα φαν&tau σααπειοιτι&pi <p> ></p> <p>“Ghost nets” said Dr. Xenia Loizidou President of the Board of the AKTI Center for Studies and Research, are the nets that are lost, abandoned and discarded in the marine environment either accidentally or intentionally and continue to fish by themselves, trapping marine animals indiscriminately.</p> <p>“Ghost nets” are recognized as one of the top ten types of marine litter, accounting for 27% of the total amount of marine litter, he added.</p> <p>These, he continued, exceed 80,000 square kilometers in area and their ropes, if we connect them, stretch 800,000 kilometers. In Europe, he said, the fishing vessel fleet amounts to about 74,000 vessels, 75% of which are mainly small coastal fishing vessels, and they employ about 65,000 people. It is estimated that every year 11,000 tons of plastic fishing gear are abandoned in the seas of Europe.</p> <p>AKTI, he said, seeks with its work to provide a solution to the problem, creating partnerships with the fishermen of Europe and Cyprus through information and awareness actions, as well as through applied research for the search for alternative solutions, such as e.g. the use of bioplastic fishing gear.</p> <p>He added that for years the AKTI Center for Studies and Research and the Paphos Coastal Fishing Association have joined forces with joint actions, aiming to reduce plastic pollution in the seas of Cyprus.</p> <p>In her statements, the President of the Board of the AKTI Center for Studies and Research, Dr. Xenia I. Loizidou, stated that “today, all of Europe is talking about the immediate need to take actions to protect the marine environment and develop the Blue Economy”. All together, he added, “we must become part of the solution to the problem of plastic pollution, because the sea is life”. It is up to the member state how it will implement them.</p> <p>“Nets have been included in the items included in the directive on single-use plastics. So Cyprus has all the tools to manage nets as single-use plastics”, he added. He also pointed out that we are late because there should be a record of how many nets are imported and how many nets are rejected to find a way to throw them away, adding that in several cases the Green Points do not accept them because they are dirty. Due to improper management, he continued, in 2030 we may also have to pay fines. </p> <p>In his statements, Andreas Andreou, representative of the Paphos Coastal Fisheries Association, said that “we are working with AKTI to deal with plastic pollution, which threatens the fish stocks in Cyprus”.</p> <p><noindex></p> <div class=Source: politis.com.cy

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