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Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Divers fish out trash, 'ghost nets' from Santorini's depths

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 5 Jun 2023 19:47
2 Min Read

As per Santorini's mayor, the build-up of these abandoned nets has swept up thousands of fish and caused incalculable damage to the flora and fauna of our seas.

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  •  A diver retrieves a 'ghost net' from the seabed off the Greek island of Santorini (AFP)
    A diver retrieves a "ghost net" from the seabed off the Greek island of Santorini (AFP)

Divers drag lethal "ghost nets" from the Aegean Sea off the stunning Greek tourist island of Santorini, which have killed thousands of fish.

"These abandoned nets are like fish traps," said diver Mika Panagiotopoulou, one of a group of volunteers who have been diving down to a depth of 45 meters to fish out trash, such as plastic bags, discarded nets, and tire fragments.

As per Santorini's mayor Antonis Sigalas, for half a century, "the build-up of these abandoned nets has swept up thousands of fish and caused incalculable damage to the flora and fauna of our seas."

George Sarelakos, co-founder of Aegean Rebreath, said, "For World Environment Day we want to highlight the dangers of abandoned fishing nets for our seas."

"Discarded fishing nets account for about a tenth of the world's marine pollution and it's a real challenge because up to now it has been invisible -- because most people have no idea of what in hidden in the depths," he added.

Over the past five years, the 300 volunteer divers from Aegean Rebreath have removed from Greek waterways more than 28 tonnes of nets and hundreds of thousands of plastic bags, one of the biggest threats to the aquatic environment.

Greece has taxed plastic bags since 2018, but shops continue to distribute them carelessly. However, there has been a "change of mentality among fisherman and now they are handing (nets) over to be recycled," according to Sarelakos.

An increasing number of people were becoming aware that "the riches of the sea were being exhausted," according to veteran fisherman Kyriakos Prekas, 71.

"It is hard for a fisherman to survive so they put down more and more nets, which leads to fewer fish. It's a vicious circle," he said.

Read: Life in ocean’s twilight zone is at risk of vanishing

  • Santorini
  • Greece
  • Fauna and flora
  • Marine Life
  • dead fish

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