Wildlife charity recover dozens of dead birds and fish tangled in abandoned ghost net
The team at Fathoms Free said it needed dealing with 'as soon as possible'
An appeal's been launched after reports of an abandoned monofilament net at Plymouth Sound.
The team at Fathoms Free said it needed dealing with 'as soon as possible', with bosses receiving photos from a 'concerned member of the public' showing the net being tangled over rock, and then disappearing into the water.
They added: "Our hard-working volunteers freed dozens of animals from all species, but many more were sadly not so lucky."
Tangled in the net were dead birds, dozens of lobsters, wrasse, cat sharks, bull huss, and countless decomposing fish.
Sharing the story on Facebook, they said: "The net stretched across the sea floor for over 400m, and was snagged on rocks and kelp along its entire length, which, along with the tidal flow, really tested the team's skills, experience, and stamina.
"With a team of divers in the water and another team on the surface, the progress was slow and steady. The passionate volunteers worked relentlessly for hours all afternoon and into the evening to safely recover the net and free the marine life that was still alive.
"Tangled in the net were dead birds, including shags, and an oystercatcher. There were dozens of lobsters of all sizes, dozens of edible and spider crabs of all sizes, wrasse, cat sharks, bull huss, and countless decomposing fish that were unidentifiable due to the condition they were in, acting as bait to the other marine life in the area.
"Our hard-working volunteers freed dozens of animals from all species, but many more were sadly not so lucky.
"Yesterday was Stingray's first ghost gear recovery, and having a longer and wider RIB to work from really made a difference. Despite reaching our target for Stingray's Revival, our overheads for boats maintenance, storage, insurance, fuel, and other running costs continue to grow yearly.
"We want to continue clearing the waters around Cornwall and Devon of ghost gear for the benefit of all."