A recent trip by a group of volunteer divers has highlighted the effects that lost or discarded fishing gear can have on the marine environment after sea creatures were rescued from old netting.

The group, led by Mark Milburn of Atlantic Scuba in Penryn, were out in Falmouth Bay to release hundreds of juvenile lobsters from the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, when they came across the sad discovery.

One set of divers began by descending at a spot near Rosemullion Head, where they successfully released around half of the lobsters, before heading along the reef to do a little exploring, but before long they found a piece of net which stood about four or five metres off of the sea bed. They then realised that it continued a long way and was stretched across the reef.

Mr Milburn, said: "Within a few metres they came across some spider crabs, caught in the net, they started to cut the crabs free.

"Once they had released the crabs, placing them some distance away, they continued along the net. The net had dozens of spider crabs,

brown crabs and lobsters trapped along it's length, stretching out for over one hundred metres across the reef."

The divers left a surface marker buoy in place for the second group, and then headed for the surface where their boat came to collect them, before dropping a buoyed anchor.

While the second group was kitting up a local fisherman, Tim Bailey came across, and after being told about the net, it's size and direction, he offered to help recover it using his mechanical hauler.

The second dive group then entered the water and descended down the buoyed anchor line before releasing the rest of the baby lobsters, then tying the anchor to the rope of the net.

Four of the divers then went aboard Mr Bailey's boat to help bring the net aboard, pulling pulled and hauling for 30 minutes and slowly dragging it aboard.

Eventually they managed to bring the whole net aboard, with an estimated length of well over 100 metres, and once back at the

harbour more fishermen came to help dispose of the net, which is believed to have been lost rather than discarded.

Mr Milburn said: "How many creatures it has caught and killed will never be known, it won't be able to kill any more."

He added: "As soon as I see trapped critters, it upsets me, what a senseless waste of life. If there is something we can do about it, we will. We were lucky that Mr Bailey came along when he did, it was perfect timing. It allowed us to clear the net straight away without any danger to us.

"The net would have easily entangled a diver or anything that got close. It had been down there for a few years, getting covered in various algae over time which would help make it visible. When it first was lost, it could have caught anything that was in the water, it would have been virtually invisible.

"We don't often find nets like these, monofilament nets are the worst and very dangerous."

He also told the Packet that the fishermen, who are based out of Mylor, were "shocked" and stated "this is the sort of thing that gives us a bad name", adding that whenever they lose a pot they tell him so he can recover it to avoid ghost fishing.