On Tuesday, May 27, Ocean Plastic Forum hosted the Ghosts of the Sea conference – a day dedicated to shedding light on the issue of lost fishing gear, commonly known as ghost nets, and exploring how we can work together to prevent, locate and remove them from Danish waters.
The conference opened with remarks from Jens Peder Jeppesen, Director of the Øresund Aquarium, who welcomed participants and shared insights from the Aquarium’s own experience with ghost nets. He also emphasized the importance of outreach and knowledge-sharing when it comes to understanding the state of our marine environment and our shared responsibility to protect it.
This was followed by a political dialogue between Torsten Gejl (Alternative) and Pernille Vermund (Liberal Alliance), who disucssed potential political actions, funding opportunities, and ongoing fisheries negotiations. Both stressed the need for concrete solutions and long-term planning.
Karen Timmermann from DTU Aqua gave an in-depth presentation on the current state of Denmark’s coastal waters and the various pressure factors impacting the marine environment. She was followed by Marc Eskelund from Foreningen for Skånsomt Kystfiskeri (PO), who spoke about the organization’s ongoing initiatives to prevent ghost nets and introduced a concrete proposal for a simple and accessible reporting system, allowing fishermen to quickly register lost or observed gear.
After lunch, Henrik Dalgaard from Limfjordsrådet shared insights from the Liv i Limfjorden project. He also highlighted how collaboration between municipalities and local communities can play a key role in implementing tangible marine environment initiatives.
Finally, Jesper Appel from North Nature presented the organization’s work on ghost net removal – including a upcoming collaboration with Sea Shepherd in the Baltic Sea – and emphasized the practical aspects of such efforts.
Jesper Jacobi Risløv, Chairman of the Danish Sport Diving Federation, contributed with an international perspective, including insights from Norway and Sweden, where legislation and practices in some areas differ significantly from those in Denmark. His presentation opened up reflections on what we can learn from other countries.
The day concluded with a presentation by Thomas Alstrup, Head of Secretariat at Ocean Plastic Forum, who introduced the Ghosts of the Sea project – a national initiative aimed at mapping, marking, and removing ghost nets, with Øresund as its starting point.
With an engaged audience, the day sparked many important conversations about the challenges we face and the very real opportunities we have to tackle them. As it was said more than once throughout the day: this is a concrete problem we can actually solve – together.
The atmosphere was marked by curiosity, determination, and a strong will to collaborate. We take with us valuable knowledge and meaningful connections as we continue working toward a cleaner, healthier marine environment.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated and contributed – and to our partners: The Danish Sport Diving Federation, North Nature, KIMO Denmark and Limfjordsrådet.
