Hundreds of Abandoned Fishing Nets Removed From Lake Peipsi
Officials and local fishermen pulled out 835 old gill nets in a cleanup operation on Lake Peipsi.
The Environmental Inspectorate has conducted the cleanups for several years, removing nets that pollute the water, are a nuisance for fishermen and endanger fish populations. This year, the agency expanded its activity to the southwestern Lämmijärv portion of the lake.
The fishing nets are often set up in areas where it is prohibited. Other times wind and ice move the nets to those areas.
"In Lämmijärv we found newer nets installed just this spring, but in Peipsi we found only old nets that had been in the water for a long time, and we later disposed of these,” said Tõnis Saariste, the environmental agency's chief inspector in the southern region.