By Cynthia | Education and Public Awareness Officer
A couple of months ago, Reef Check Malaysia's team removed a total of 352kg of ghost nets from six areas across Mersing waters in Johor - Pulau Dayang, Pulau Aur, Pulau Mertang, Pulau Hujung, Pulau Tengah and Pulau Besar. In another clean-up effort, the team had removed 160kg of ghost nets in a single operation at Pulau Besar.
Ghost nets are abandoned or lost fishing nets that can continue “fishing” underwater long after they are no longer in use. When caught on reefs, they can break coral structures, entangle marine life and smother important habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds, creating wider impacts on fisheries, tourism and coastal communities.
The scale of the problem highlights why early reports from local communities, fishermen, divers and other ocean users are so important. When ghost nets are spotted, reporting them to relevant authorities or conservation organisations can help teams respond before further damage occurs. In 2025 alone, RCM removed more than 3,000 kg of ghost nets from several project locations across Malaysia.
Every net removed is one less threat to our reefs and the marine life and communities that depend on them.
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
