Fathoms Free Marine Clean

by FATHOMS FREE in Liskeard, Cornwall, United Kingdom

We did it
On 5th February 2023 we successfully raised £5,057 ( + est. £471.75 Gift Aid ) with 47 supporters in 56 days

Our team of volunteers will be cleaning up the sea, tackling and removing the Ghost Fishing Gear littering the sea all around Cornwall.

Project by FATHOMS FREE

 New stretch target

We are solely funded by donations from supporters. The more we can fundraise the more recoveries we can make happen! 


Fathoms Free are a Cornwall based charity working to clean up the sea of ghost fishing gear and marine debris. Ghost fishing gear refers to any fishing equipment or fishing related litter that has been abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded. This can include nets, lobster and crab or whelk pots, angling gear including hooks, lures, ropes, cables, weights and floats. Unfortunately, once lost at sea the ghost gear will continue to “fish”, entangling and trapping wildlife indiscriminately. These animals will die trapped and then act as bait attracting more wildlife in a vicious cycle until the ghost gear is removed from the water. 

We respond to reports from divers and other water users to locate and remove ghost fishing gear as a matter of urgency. The longer it is left in the water the more destruction it will cause to the habitat and more wildlife killed.

We are so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful coastline in Cornwall and we want to protect the marine environment and wildlife from the harm caused by ghost gear.

With your help, funds raised will allow our volunteers to clear more sites of deadly ghost gear, protecting our wildlife and marine environment. We now have 2 boats at our disposal thanks to the generosity of our partners in the UK Ghost Gear Coalition loaning us a second RHIB to increase our capacity. Your donations will allow our growing team of dedicated volunteers to survey and recover more ghost fishing gear than ever before.

 As divers we are often lucky enough to see wildlife that others won't have the chance to encounter. We want to share our passion to protect the ocean and all marine wildlife and we hope you will too!

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