Operation Ghost Farms – Reclaiming Waters 2025
Abandoned Fish Farm Removal in the Saronic Gulf, Greece
The Saronic Gulf is an ecologically important area due to its underwater meadows of Posidonia Oceanica and important habitats for waterbirds.
Unfortunately the area is not free of threats. Marine litter is one of them.
In October 2025, Ghost Diving volunteers joined a major cleanup operation in the region. We contributed with our expertise, technical diving skills and equipment to remove a large abandoned fish farm (ghost farm). The mission was coordinated by Healthy Seas with support from several partners and local authorities.
Challenging Conditions
The abandoned fish farm consisted of plastic cages, buoys and heavy fish farming nets, scattered across the seabed.
These materials posed a serious threat to marine life, acting as persistent sources of entanglement and microplastic pollution.
Ghost Diving teams executed multiple dives to document the site, assess hazards and secure loose debris for safe recovery.
However, reduced visibility, sharp edges, extremely heavy and unstable structures created additional challenges throughout the operation.
Impressive Results
Despite the challenges, all the participants of the Operation Ghost Farms – Reclaiming Waters 2025 recovered 40.1 tons of marine litter.
This included:
- 30.8 tons of plastic cages (HDPE)
- 2.5 tons of fishing nets
- 1.6 tons of Styrofoam
- 5.2 tons of other materials such as metal cages, buoys, and the two sunken boats
All materials combined and cut filled 12 industrial containers.
