Posted by Max Bottomtime on June 24, 2005 at 19:24:31:
In Reply to: Poster-child for Need to Remove Lost Fishing Gear posted by Walt on June 22, 2005 at 17:39:24:
Nets on wrecks are a double-edged sword. They continue to kill long after their former owners can profit from them, especially the monofiliment nets. I have removed plenty of those nasty things, especially from the Olympic II wreck. 
The nylon nets with their smaller openings provide a home and protection to smaller animals from their larger predators. In cases such as the Horn shark on the Tuna Clipper, the predator becomes the prey after being caught in the net. It's sad to see, but nearly every living thing in the ocean eventually gets eaten. It would be great to remove every net within days of their snagging, before they become part of the reef. Once nets become integrated to the reef community they are quite a nice sight. The net on the shallower pinnacle at Farnsworth is a good example. It is covered by yellow sponges, anemones and home to hundreds of small fish and crabs.