SPECIALIST divers are clearing lost lobster pots, fishing nets and rope from Scapa Flow this week in a move to make the seabed safer for marine life and divers.

The effects of lost or discarded fishing nets, lines and pots, also known as "ghost gear", will also be studied as they continue to catch and cause the unnecessary suffering and death of marine life and place additional strain on fishing stocks.

Last year on a similar mission over 60 pots, large fishing nets, about a mile of ropes and significant amounts of other fishing debris were recovered with a a large proportion recycled.

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Global animal welfare charity World Animal Protection UK is supporting a team of specialist divers to clear gear from Scapa Flow.

Dr Joanne Porter, a marine researcher from Heriot Watt University, will also be part of the project to study the effects of this waste and reduce its impact.

The Scapa Flow project, initiated by Ghost Fishing UK, which is made up of organisations such as researchers' body the Global Underwater Explorers and net recycler Healthy Seas, could lead to more clear-ups elsewhere in UK waters.

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The week will focus on learning safe techniques for recovering gear, surveying the marine life trapped and linking these data to a global database.

However it will also involve an operation involving fishing gear removal at reported locations and then returning them to their owners or recycling them.

At 120 square miles, Scapa Flow is one of the world’s largest natural harbours and the sea around Orkney has one of the largest concentrations of shipwrecks anywhere in the world.

Over time rubbish has accumulated on and around the wrecks including lobster pots, crab creels, whelk pots, ropes and diver shot lines.

Christina Dixon, World Animal Protection UK campaigns manager, said: “Ghost fishing is a huge global issue for marine animals – a staggering 640,000 tons of ghost gear is lost in our oceans each year.

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"Funding this project will remove the immediate problem for marine life and also provide us with the evidence to help stop the problem in the future.”