Kuwaiti divers lift fishing nets abandoned in Kuwait Bay

KUWAIT, May 23 (KUNA) -- Kuwait Dive Team (KDT), affiliated with the Environmental Voluntary Foundation (EVF), has lifted disposed fishing nets dumped close to Umm Al-Namel island in Kuwait Bay.
The nets, weighing a ton, were afloat with hundreds of trapped alive or dead fish and other sea creatures, said Walid Al-Fadhel, the chief of the divers who lifted the nets.
The team used a boat, provided by the islands' monitoring department of Kuwait Municipality, to remove the huge nets. The divers and municipal personnel examined the island, located and removed birds' traps. They also addressed the last warning to campers to evacuate the island because it is one of the national reserves where camping and hunting are banned.
Al-Fadhel renewed the call on boaters and fishermen to abstain from dumping nets or other items into the bay waters noting that it is a main habitat for various marine creatures.
The team often removes such hurdles left behind at sea by boaters or fishermen.
The divers had been involved in various other activities to protect the national marine environment, such as removing items dumped onto coral reefs, salvaging sunken boats and clearing the sea-bed of diverse waste and harmful objects.
Kuwaiti authorities repeatedly urge citizens and residents to abstain from acts detrimental to the land or marine environments. (end) mf.rk