Documentary series shines light on 'ghost nets'

A new mini-documentary series focusing on marine conservation, No Nets Left Behind, co-filmed by actor Huang Xuan and swimmer Zhang Yufei, will premiere on Youku, a leading streaming platform in China, on October 24.

At an event dedicated to promoting the retrieval and recycling of discarded fishing gear to protect the ocean, Huang and Zhang shared their personal experiences from the filming process in Beijing on Wednesday. The event, hosted by international environmental organization WildAid, one of the series' key producers, also featured a screening of the series.

According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the UN Environment Programme, "ghost nets" — abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear in the ocean — make up one-tenth of marine litter. Through this documentary series, WildAid put the spotlight on the problem of ghost nets and its viable solutions.

Huang recounted his time as a diver in Wanning, a city in southern China's Hainan province, where he participated in underwater retrieval operations for ghost nets. He also learned about fishing net recycling efforts from local fishermen in Tanmen town, Qionghai city, Hainan.

"This challenging experience made me realize that while manual retrieval is the most direct approach to tackling ghost nets, there is great difficulty in operation and a high cost, making it impractical for large-scale use. The real solution lies in creating a comprehensive recycling system to prevent abandoned fishing gear from entering the ocean in the first place," Huang said.

During filming, Zhang visited a fishing gear recycling plant in the coastal city of Lianyungang, located in East China's Jiangsu province. She also visited local residents involved in recycling discarded fishing nets to experience it for herself.

"I saw firsthand more and more people are joining the efforts to recycle and repurpose discarded fishing gear. These collective efforts give the fishing gear a new start, which no longer poses a threat to marine life but is instead transformed into something useful for human life. This fills me with hope for the future of our oceans," Zhang said.

The filming of the documentary series was guided by the First Institute of Oceanography under the Ministry of Natural Resources and the China Fishing Vessels, Fishing Machinery, and Fishing Gear Association.

Li Jieren, president of the association, delivered a speech at Wednesday's event. He highlighted China's active efforts on controlling and reducing discarded fishing gear over recent years, including the promotion of recycling technologies, the implementation of incentive policies, and the advocacy of environmental protection principles. He also called on all stakeholders to support and take part in addressing the issue of abandoned fishing gear.

Following the speech, the association signed a memorandum of cooperation with WildAid to promote the recycling and repurposing of discarded fishing gear and the protection and improvement of marine ecological environment. WildAid also launched a partner program that aims to reduce ghost nets along China's coastlines by 50 percent and decrease the amount of discarded fishing gear by 80 percent within the next 10 years.

Ruan Sitong contributed to this story.