Scuba divers to remove fishing net entangled on shipwrecked barge

A group of scuba divers plan Sunday to head 80 feet under the sea off Huntington Beach to remove hundreds of pounds of fishing net entangled on a shipwrecked barge, making it a hazard to marine life.

“Ghost nets also put recreational divers at risk,” Kurt Lieber, president of the nonprofit Ocean Defenders Alliance said in a statement. “It is imperative to remove such netting to make the area safe … and reduce damage to surrounding marine ecosystems.”

Whales, dolphins, seals and fish can easily become snared in wayward netting.

Over the last decade, the Huntington Beach-based Ocean Defenders Alliance has removed more than 13,000 pounds of abandoned fishing net from coastal waters.

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