When diving instructor Kevin Suen Chung-yi conducts lessons in Hong Kong’s waters, he would often encounter discarded abandoned fishing nets that snagged on coral reefs and ensnared marine creatures.
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“I’d see these nets tangled around coral or drifting in the water, and I couldn’t just ignore them,” Suen said.
What began as a personal initiative to clear nets when he encountered them, gradually evolved into a much larger mission.
Since setting up Ghost Net Hunting Unit in 2022, Suen has led over 10 clean-ups, extracting more than 2.4 tonnes of debris from Hong Kong’s waters.
His work, supported by the A Plastic Ocean Foundation, extends to educating the public, particularly the diving and fishing communities, about the broader impact of marine pollution.
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“It’s not just about removing the trash,” he explained. “It’s about teaching people why this is important, about the long-term damage these ghost nets cause.”