– Fortunately for the lobster, we were here today, says Fredrik Myhre. Together with two other divers, he came across the lobster on the seabed outside Nesodden. There, the large, endangered crustacean had become entangled in an old fishing line. A fishing line on the bottom can cause major problems, says Fredrik Myhre of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news – Unfortunately, this is a problem we see very often, says Myhre, who is a marine biologist and senior adviser at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The lines originate from anglers who have stuck the hook in the bottom and worn off the line. With the line wrapped around its body and legs, the lobster was getting nowhere. Thus it was likely to starve to death. This lobster suffered a sad fate. It had become stuck in a large vase made of old fishing line. Photo: Fredrik Myhre WWF As dead, it would have attracted other lobsters or crabs that would have come to eat it. Thus, new animals could be caught in the same way in the same line. – So you get an eternal round dance of death around this fishing line, says Myhre. The cod is also struggling The Oslofjord has long suffered from so-called nitrogen pollution from agriculture and old-fashioned sewage treatment plants. The stock of cod has been greatly reduced, which may be due to overfishing. Scientists have warned that the fjord risks ecological collapse. They have demanded that large zero-fishing areas be established where fishing will be prohibited for both recreational and professional fishermen. Recently, the Directorate of Fisheries came up with new advice for the fjord where this is one of the main options. For the lobster, which is an endangered species in Norway, five so-called lobster conservation areas have already been established in the Oslofjord where the animal will be allowed to live in peace and hopefully increase in numbers. At the same time, old fishing gear is a threat both inside and outside these areas. Enormous quantities of fishing line – At popular fishing spots in the Oslo Fjord there are kilos of fishing line. It doesn’t sound like much, but then we’re talking kilometers of fishing line. It’s a huge problem, says Christian Skauge in Marinreparatørene. At some fishing grounds in the Oslo Fjord, they have picked up huge amounts of old lines, says Christian Skauge in Marinreparatørene. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Marinreparatørene is an environmental organization that works to repair the fjord, including cleaning up pollution and restoring the seabed. – It is important to clean up old rubbish and fishing gear that threaten the lobster, and not least to secure more and better marine protected areas in which the lobster can live without the risk of being fished out, adds Myhre. Joint effort Marine repairmen have collaborated with Indre Oslofjord underwater club to remove lines. Anglers and the Norwegian Hunting and Fishing Association (NJFF) have also become involved in the problem. The NJFF has drawn up advice to prevent so much fishing equipment from being lost. Among the advice is to fish with lighter lures and equipment that does not stick to the bottom so easily. Another trick is to have a front tom at the bottom towards the hook that is thinner than the main line, so the line breaks there if the fisherman has to tear the line. All the fishing line in the picture, 4 kg in total, was picked up from the sea at a place on Fagerstrand in Nesodden municipality. Behind is the general manager of Marinreparatørene, Lars Dalen. Photo: Christian Skauge Marine repairmen Being freed – Then we take it in and free it, say the divers and lift the animal with its large claws onto the edge of the quay. The lobster that had become entangled in the line at Nesodden had good luck in bad luck. The accident happened close to the lobster conservation area outside Nesoddtangen. Lobster gets stuck in fishing line and must be freed. It is important to clean up fishing gear and other rubbish that threatens the lobster, WWF believes. Photo: Fredrik Myhre WWF There is also the headquarters of the Marinreparatørene, which has a high density of conservationists with diving equipment. And who discovered the lobster and helped it. To remove the string, which is tight around the animal, a knife must be used. After some fiddling, the lobster is free and can be returned to the fjord it came from. After the lobster was freed from the fishing line it had around its body, it was released back into the Oslofjord. Photo: Fredrik Myhre / WWF World Wide Fund for Nature Published 04.07.2024, at 05.26
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Lobster gets stuck in fishing lines at the bottom of the Oslofjord – Greater Oslo
