Divers clean 'ghost nets' off old WWII submarine in attempt to save marine life
Environmental divers have cleaned the HMS Perseus, a submarine lost during WWII, of lost fishing gear to prevent marine wildlife getting trapped in the nets.
A group of divers have removed the "ghost nets" that were covering a British submarine in the Ionian Sea off Greece in an attempt to save the marine wildlife that frequent it.
The HMS Perseus, lost during WWII, lies at a depth of 52 metres between the islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos.
At least 650,000 marine animals die each year by getting trapped in lost fishing gear, which often snags on shipwrecks and reefs.
These so-called “ghost nets” create deadly traps for sea turtles, dolphins, seals and also fish, which cannot free themselves.
Normally hotspots for biodiversity that provide food and shelter to marine life, the wrecks and reefs become dangerous because of the nets.
Drag the slider across the image below to see photographs taken at the beginning and in the final stages of the cleanup operation.
The six-person team performed three dives on the HMS Perseus, each lasting just over one hour.
After its first "survey dive", the team decided to focus on the vessel's conning tower and the front outer hull of the submarine.
In the following sessions, they almost completely freed the conning tower of fishing nets and the wreck’s original structure has been unveiled.
