Limfjorden declared free of ghost nets after six-year cleanup

A six-year effort to remove abandoned fishing gear from Denmark’s Limfjorden has succeeded, with nearly 1,600 pieces of ghost nets recovered, DR reports.

The cleanup, led by the Limfjord Council—a coalition of 18 municipalities—has cleared the fjord of lost or discarded nets, traps, and lines that had killed fish, shellfish, and marine mammals for years. The project also prevented microplastics and lead from decomposing gear from polluting the environment.

“This is a monumental achievement,” said Morten Hertz, project manager at the Limfjord Council. “When we started, the task seemed overwhelming.”

Local fishermen and volunteers played a key role in the final two years of the effort, part of the “Life in Limfjorden” project. While exact totals are unclear, estimates suggest nearly 100 tons of gear were removed. Over 1,300 crabs and 150 lobsters trapped in nets were also rescued and released.

The council expects minimal new debris, as most recovered gear dated from past decades. In 2025, Denmark’s parliament allocated 10 million kroner for a national plan against ghost nets, though the Environment Ministry declined to comment on its progress due to the ongoing election period.

Efforts to address the issue began in the 1990s, when the NGO Levende Hav (Living Sea) first highlighted the problem of abandoned nets in the fjord.

Tags: environment, denmark, marine conservation