Eleven boats set out from Mustvee on Thursday alongside Environmental Board officials and fishers to clear old gear from Estonia's largest border lake. Earlier in the week, crews worked in central and southern sections of the lake before shifting north.

In all, nearly 500 nets were recovered over the four-day operation, officials said.

Environmental Board lead inspector Ivar Veider said many of them are likely linked to winter fishing and drifting ice.

"If we dredge along the border, then at least half are nets that have drifted over from the Russian side with the ice, but there are also abandoned or lost nets from the Estonian side too," Veider said.

He added that most appear to be winter nets, which are set in pairs and were also recovered in pairs.

Chief inspector Ivo Kask said it's not always possible to determine where all nets originate from.

"We can't always tell whether a Chinese-made net was used in Estonia or Russia," Kask said. "But we can distinguish large frame nets, which have a slightly different design and use different materials."

Authorities said only about a third of the lake is searched each year, with this year's work focusing on areas missed in previous seasons.

Kask said crews prioritize zones based on ice movement patterns and aim to recover nets lost a year or two ago. Officials also target cases where nets may have been intentionally left in the water.

Microplastics risk

Abandoned nets pose risks not only to fish and other aquatic animals but also to boat engines and other fishing equipment. Degrading synthetic nets can also contaminate food supplies.

"Modern nets are made of synthetic materials, and if they end up on the bottom, no longer catching fish, that plastic breaks down into microplastics," Kask explained.

Microplastics consumed by fish, he added, can eventually make their way back into the human food chain.

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