Lobster Pot Recovery After Storm Arwen with Duncan Simpson & Andrew Jack

In the winter of 2021, an unusually powerful cyclone called Storm Arwen wreaked havoc on the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France. In Scotland alone, on land, it was estimated that over 8 million trees were damaged or affected by the storm. The damage was no less under the water. Andrew Jack, a fisherman that works in the Moray Firth of the North Sea, lost almost 600 lobster traps in the angry sea. After contacting Duncan Simpson of UK Ghost Diving, the two collaborated (with their teams) on the retrieval of this lost gear that, at first, seemed like it couldn't be done. HighlightsWhy was Storm Arwen different and so detrimental?Why was the retrieval of all of the lobster traps seemingly unlikely?What made it possible?ResourcesIf you are in the UK area and need ghost gear retrieval help, contact Ghost Diving UK.Article by Healthy Seas about the lobster trap retrieval.How YOU Can HelpDonate to Healthy Seas so they can conduct even more clean-up missions.Click here for a transcript of this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.Healthy Seas is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to tackle the ghost fishing phenomenon and turn this waste into an opportunity for a more circular economy. They do this through clean-ups, prevention, education, and working with partners who recycle and repurpose this material. The podcast is hosted by Crystal DiMiceli.