HCL Foundation (HCLF), launched ‘Dive to Retrieve’ - Harit Ghost Net Campaign, under its flagship programme for Environment Action, HCL Harit.
Ghost Nets are abandoned, discarded, or otherwise lost fishing gear that pose a threat to the coastal and marine ecosystems. The HCL Foundation, along with partner Temple Adventures, led a team of certified divers to retrieve ghost nets from sites of ecological importance along the Chennai coastline.
Vijayanand A.K., global operations director, Merck AMS Delivery, was present at the flag off event at the Neelankarai beach.
During the three-day campaign, which started on April 22, the teams retrieved abandoned fishing gear from underwater sites.
Fifteen qualified volunteer divers from across Chennai, Madurai and Mumbai worked in tandem to retrieve ghost nets. Each day, the team conducted two dives, spending approximately 45 minutes on each dive. Over the course of three days, the team collected and retrieved approximately 300 kg of ghost nets, a press release said.
