Limfjorden has been cleared of more than 1,600 ghost nets following a coordinated clean-up effort, marking a significant step for marine conservation.
After six years of sustained work, Limfjorden has been cleared of ghost nets—lost or discarded fishing gear that continues to trap and kill marine life long after it has been abandoned. The project has removed around 1,600 nets, many of which had been lying on the seabed for years, if not decades.
Ghost nets are a persistent and often unseen problem in coastal waters. Made of durable synthetic materials, they can continue catching fish, crustaceans and other species indefinitely, a process known as “ghost fishing”. In addition to trapping marine life, the nets can damage seabed habitats, entangle larger animals and contribute to the wider issue of marine plastic pollution.
A long-term effort
The clean-up formed part of the “Life in Limfjorden” initiative, coordinated by the Limfjord Council in collaboration with municipalities, divers and local fishermen. Over the course of the project, teams systematically worked to locate and retrieve nets using sonar surveys, local knowledge and targeted diving operations.
The efforts called for careful handling, as old nets can be buried in sediment or entangled with rocks and vegetation. In some cases, removal had to be carried out gradually to avoid further disturbance to the seabed.
Environmental impact
The removal of ghost nets is expected to have an immediate positive effect on marine life in the fjord. By eliminating these passive traps, fish stocks and other species are less likely to suffer unintended mortality.
The project also improves habitat conditions. Nets can smother seabed vegetation, such as eelgrass, and disrupt benthic ecosystems, so their removal allows these habitats to recover and function more naturally.
The grander scheme
While ghost nets remain a global issue, the Limfjorden project demonstrates that targeted, long-term efforts can produce measurable results. It additionally highlights the importance of collaboration among authorities, scientists and the dive community.
For divers and local residents, the outcome is tangible—cleaner seabeds, healthier ecosystems and a fjord better able to sustain marine life in the years ahead.
Role of divers
In Denmark, as in many other countries, regulations currently restrict underwater work, such as net removal, to certified commercial divers. This has, until now, restricted the active role recreational divers could play in clean-up operations.
However, recent developments suggest a shift in approach. Proposed amendments to legislation are expected to clarify how sports divers can assist in future efforts—primarily by locating and marking ghost nets for later retrieval by professional teams.
Initiatives are already supporting this model. Specially designed marker buoys, funded by foundations such as Veluxfonden, are being made available to divers, enabling them to mark located ghost nets without attempting to remove them.
This approach allows the diving community to contribute valuable observations, while maintaining safety standards and regulatory compliance. It also reflects a broader recognition that divers can play an important supporting role in monitoring and protecting marine environments.
PADI Speciality
The PADI Danish Ghostnet Recovery Speciality is a distinctive dive course developed by North Nature to train divers to identify, safely salvage, and remove abandoned fishing nets (ghost nets) in Danish waters. The course covers environmental impacts, safety procedures to avoid entanglement, and lifting techniques.
