Sea turtle dies in giant ghost net off Herzliya coast

A giant ghost net, about 50 meters long, was found during a sail north of Sidna Ali beach, also known as Hof Nof Yam, in Herzliya. The net was lying around 8 meters below the surface, and an initial inspection found a brown sea turtle and groupers tangled in it, all dead.

The report came through the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel’s Sea Watch app, prompting a field team to verify the find. The inspection confirmed a heavy, massive net stretching for tens of meters, which required a specially organized recovery operation because of its size and weight.

After weeks of coordination and attempts to secure the right crew and suitable sea conditions, the operation was completed last Sunday. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel hired Blazda, a company specializing in underwater work, and four divers plus additional crew went out on the MAYAM to remove the net. During the trip, they identified another large and complex ghost net nearby that will need a separate mission.

With this removal, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has now pulled six ghost nets from Israeli waters since the start of the year. Sea Watch coordinator Bar Shtarnbach said the incident shows the “sad reality” in Israeli waters, where teams clear equipment left behind by irresponsible fishing. He warned that every day a ghost net remains in the sea it continues to endanger marine life and even people, especially during the Mediterranean breeding season, which for most species begins in March and peaks in April to June. He also criticized the Fisheries Department’s decision to allow non-selective gear such as gillnets in May, calling it especially harmful to grouper, sea turtles and cartilaginous fish. Shtarnbach said the dead turtle and fish could not be saved, but removing the net prevented further harm and cleared a dangerous, polluting hazard.