State to monitor 300 marine zones closely

{ GHOST NETS REMOVAL PLAN SUBMITTED TO NGT

- Gayatri Vajpeyee

In a bid to tackle the mounting crisis posed by ghost nets ~ lost, abandoned or discarded fishing gear that continues to harm marine life long after being discarded in the ocean - the Maharashtra Department of Fisheries this week submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) a comprehensive action plan to assess and monitor 300 marine zones along the state’s coastline spread across Maharashtra’ key coastal districts such as Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Mumbai and Palghar.

The said zones will be surveyed for ecological sensitivity, species diversity, fishing intensity, and prevalence of ghost gear to identify the areas most at risk from entanglement and overfishing, enabling the development of focused and sustainable regulatory solutions involving local communities.