The nets that were improperly discarded by fishermen within the borders of Adilcevaz in Bitlis, damaging both the microbiolites and the pearl mullet, are being cleaned by divers in Lake Van, in the eastern Anatolia region of Türkiye.
In the Adilcevaz section of Lake Van, fishermen’s nets have become entangled in the large and small microbiolites spread over approximately 80 square kilometers (30.8 square miles) from the shore; efforts were made to remove around 600 meters of the net that were found caught in the microbiolites.
Members of the Upper Sea Association in Adilcevaz conducted dives and managed to retrieve a 300-meter section of the net that was entangled in the microbiolites and had dead fish on it.
Speaking to reporters about the issue, Upper Sea Association President Cumali Birol stated, “During our sporting dive in the microbiolites within the borders of Adilcevaz today, we encountered a large ghost net. We estimate that the ghost net is approximately 600 meters long. However, we could only retrieve half of it because it requires significant effort and dedication. We have managed to take a piece of the net."
"If all goes well, we will clean the other part in the coming periods. We observed during our footage that this net has indeed caused serious damage to the microbiolites. We have seen how ghost nets harm ecosystems and living beings in all our inland waters in our country, and we have witnessed it in Lake Van as well," he said.
He added: "There were dead fish on it, and we even found a snake. Therefore, this damage has emerged, our warning from here is, of course, that our fishing brothers will provide for their livelihoods, but we kindly ask them not to cast nets within three miles of Adilcevaz. Because it seriously harms the microbiolites, ghost nets that have caused damage in many of our inland waters have also begun to harm Lake Van."
"When these nets get caught in microbiolites, they do not come back out. Consequently, when the microbiolite entangles, it becomes very difficult to retrieve it. Fishermen are also harming their own nets and budgets, as they have no chance of retrieving their nets when they get caught in microbiolites. We have encountered this. We believe it has caused significant damage,” he said.
