Baltic Sea Heritage Rescue Project - Sabine Kerkau, Tom Kürten and Holger Buss

April 22-23.2023 the Paarlasti room in Suomenlinna was filled with diving enthusiasts and science professionals interested in citizen science for a seminar organised by the Finnish Divers' Federation and the Finnish Maritime Archaeological Society.
Fishing gears abandoned or lost at sea are an unsolved and “silent” problem. It continuously catches fish, birds, and marine mammals for many years at the seabed causing degradation of the marine environment. It is estimated that each year approximately ten thousand of net are lost or abandoned in the Baltic Sea. Many of these nets are lost entangled on wrecks as here the fish density is highest. After loss, these nets are still actively fishing without purpose for many years hence the phrase ghost net. They also form a hurdle for historians and marine archaeologists accessing and identifying these wrecks. The volunteers of the Baltic Sea Heritage Rescue Project remove in collaboration with universities, ministries, archaeologists, and museums such ghost nets from wrecks, identify and document the wrecks to protect them and keep their stories alive. The team told the stories of several wrecks located at the Lithuanian coast.
Tom presented his experience in lifting nets from wrecks. In his presentation, he explained the reasons why these nets are so hazardous to marine organisms. Before going into a recovery, he presented us the risks for divers involved in the operation and how to take care of them. He showed which tools work best and how to use them. There are more aspects to take care off besides the underwater activity. In this way, he demonstrated how a well organised team above and under water increases overall safety.