Our volunteer divers just never stop! On 27-28 December the Ghost Fishing Greece divers closed down the year with a successful diving trip and manage to remove two big pieces of ghost nets from a shipwreck in the Gulf of Corinth in Greece. This was the 5th dive this year on the shipwreck “Stymfalia”. In spite of the poor visibility and bad weather conditions, the team managed to pull out two pieces of ghost nets from the stern of the wreck this time.
Our effort will continue in 2018, until the wreck is fully clean from the dangerous nets.
Millions of animals, including sharks, dolphins, seals and turtles suffer and die because of entanglement in these nets worldwide. The Gulf of Corinth is now on the list of future protected areas in the NATURA 2000 network with its rich biodiversity. These nets won’t harm the marine ecosystem anymore and are ready to be regenerated into ECONYL® yarn.
The Gulf also supports four species of dolphins. Some of these appear to form mixed pods – a behaviour not usually seen in the open sea – while scientists have observed a hybrid dolphin that appears to be unique to the Gulf. Since the state has committed itself to the inclusion of the Gulf in the NATURA 2000 network of protected areas, the formation of a “Management Organisation for the Gulf of Corinth”, which will cover six NATURA 2000 areas, has been announced.
The wreck to which the divers descended is that of a water carrier of Italian origin, initially known as the NERA. The ship was passed to what was then the Greek Royal Navy and renamed STYMPHALEA. It continued to operate as a water carrier until 1978, when it sank. The 40m long vessel, one of the few remaining wrecks in Greek waters that was constructed more than 100 years ago, now rests in the sand in an upright position off Alepochori at a depth between 28 and 34m.
Many thanks to the Ghost Fishing Greece divers, the Nautical Club of Alepochori and MEDASSET for the cooperation!
