Not only an aquatic threat: A Caspian whipsnake Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) entangled in discarded fishing net onshore on Lesvos Island, Greece

Abstract

The use of fishing nets has a widespread impact on marine, saline-brackish, and freshwater environments, as well as the species occurring in them. While the nets are intended to capture fish and other target species, they often result in high mortality rates of many other fauna species through bycatch and entanglement. Fishing nets that are lost, destroyed, or reach the end of their lifespan are often referred to as "ghost nets", posing a major threat to fauna as hundreds of species become fatally entangled. Here, we report for the first time an incident of a terrestrial snake, a Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), which we found entangled onshore in a ghost net on Lesvos Island, Greece. The snake was released into its natural habitat after being carefully disentangled. This incident highlights the need for proper disposal of fishing nets to prevent future entanglements and mortality of non-target species.

Full text

Ecologia Balkanica
http://eb.bio.uni-plovdiv.bg
University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”
Faculty of Biology
ECOLOGIA BALKANICA
2023, Vol. 15, Issue 1
June 2023
pp. 192-198
Short note
Not only an aquatic threat: A Caspian whipsnake
Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) entangled in discarded fishing
net onshore on Lesvos Island, Greece
Apostolos Christopoulos1, Yiannis G. Zevgolis2*
1 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Zoology and Marine
Biology, 15772, Athens, GREECE
2 University of the Aegean, Department of Environment, Biodiversity Conservation
Laboratory, 81132, Mytilene, GREECE
*Corresponding author: zevgolis@env.aegean.gr
Abstract. The use of fishing nets has a widespread impact on marine, saline-brackish, and
freshwater environments, as well as the species occurring in them. While the nets are intended
to capture fish and other target species, they often result in high mortality rates of many other
fauna species through bycatch and entanglement. Fishing nets that are lost, destroyed, or reach
the end of their lifespan are often referred to as "ghost nets", posing a major threat to fauna as
hundreds of species become fatally entangled. Here, we report for the first time an incident of a
terrestrial snake, a Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), which we found entangled onshore
in a ghost net on Lesvos Island, Greece. The snake was released into its natural habitat after
being carefully disentangled. This incident highlights the need for proper disposal of fishing
nets to prevent future entanglements and mortality of non-target species.
Key words: net trapping; ghost nets; terrestrial reptiles; discarded fishing gear; Aegean Sea.
Various types of fishing nets are used
worldwide on both a commercial and amateur
level to catch fish and other fauna species in
marine (Eyo & Akpati, 1995; Narayanakumar
et al., 2009; Gerami & Dastbaz, 2013; Damman-
nagoda, 2018), saline-brackish (Welcomme,
1972; Crespi, 2002; Mehanna et al., 2020), and
freshwater environments (Eyo & Akpati, 1995;
Minakawa et al., 2008; Gurumayum & Choud-
hury, 2009; Raju et al., 2016; Jawad, 2021).
Unfortunately, in addition to the target
species, many other fauna species are also
frequently trapped as bycatch in these nets
during their use, resulting in a high mortality
rate. This phenomenon has been recorded
both in the sea (Piatt & Nettleship, 1987; Tasker
et al., 2000; Dagys & Žydelis, 2002; Lewison et
al., 2004; Moore & Jennings, 2008; Gilman et
al., 2010; Casale, 2011) and wetlands (Alexan-
dar, 2010; Amarasinghe et al., 2015; Naria et
al., 2019; Kelkar & Dey, 2020; Sindha et al.,
2020; Vyas et al., 2020; Vyas & Patel, 2020).
Many fishing nets are lost, and others,
when they are destroyed or reach the end of
their lifespan, are abandoned in the sea or wet-
lands and are referred to as “ghost nets” (Mac-
fadyen et al., 2009; Kim et al., 2014; Edyvane &
Penny, 2017), which can wash ashore (Claere-
boudt, 2004; Wilcox et al., 2013; Bergmann et
al., 2017) or be improperly disposed of onshore

Not only an aquatic threat: A Caspian whipsnake Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) entangled in
discarded fishing net onshore on Lesvos Island, Greece
193
or in garbage dumps (Peirce & Van Daele,
2006; pers. obs.). Ghost nets are a major fauna
threat worldwide as hundreds of species
become fatally entangled (Macfadyen et al.,
2009; Gilardi et al., 2010; Good et al., 2010; Vyas
et al., 2020; Blettler & Mitchell, 2021; Patel et al.,
2022). Similar entanglement incidents in
discarded fishing nets have also been recorded
onshore, but to the best of our knowledge, they
are much less frequent (Bergmann et al., 2017;
Vyas & Patel, 2020; Blettler & Mitchell, 2021).
Here, we present one such incident of terrestrial
snake trapping in a fishing net for the first time.
In the summer of 2020, we undertook
small-scale herpetological surveys in several
areas on the island of Lesvos, North Aegean,
Greece. On June 29, 2020, at 17:27 hours, during
our field expedition in an olive grove located in
a small settlement of Fteli (39° 02' 25.8" N; 26°
27' 34.6" E; 5 m a.s.l), a coastal hamlet situated
at the mouth of the Gulf of Gera (Fig. 1), we
detected an enwrapped Caspian whipsnake
Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) (Squamata:
Colubridae) within a trammel net made by
synthetic fabric (Fig. 2). The day was sunny
with an average temperature of 27°C. The
snake had likely become trapped while trying
to hide or during foraging, and it probably
became more entangled as it tried to
disentangle itself.
Fig. 1. Distribution map concerning the main land cover types of Lesvos Island and the
locality of the trapped Caspian whipsnake.
The snake's position inside the net, which
was folded over, seemed to have impeded its
ability to free itself, making it even more
entangled in its efforts to escape (Fig. 2). The
only way we managed to free the snake from
the very bad entanglement was by carefully
cutting the net with scissors and avoiding
injuring the reptile. The Caspian whipsnake
was lively and vigorous, so we released it into
its natural habitat, a century-old olive grove
with dry-stone walls surrounded by maquis
vegetation dominated by lentisks (Pistacia
lentiscus) and kermes oaks (Quercus coccifera).
Then, to avoid future animal entanglements,
we collected the nets, sealed them securely in a
bag, and took them with us.

Apostolos Christopoulos, Yiannis Zevgolis
194
Fig. 2. Photographic documentation from the island of Lesvos, Greece, of a Caspian
whipsnake ensnared within an abandoned fishing net.
The Caspian whipsnake is a large-bodied
terrestrial colubrid snake that lives on the
ground but can climb on trees (Dudás & Frank,
2021), and swim in freshwater (Oskyrko &
Jablonski, 2020). It is a diurnal species (Pulev et
al., 2019; Cattaneo et al., 2020), but nocturnal
activity has been observed during warmer
months (Dyugmedzhiev, 2021). This species can
be found in a wide variety of habitats up to an
elevation of 1,600 m, and seems to prefer plains
and hills covered by agricultural environments,
meadows, phrygana, shrublands, riparian zones,
and residential or semi-natural areas with
woody vegetation (Valakos et al., 2008; Mollov,
2011; Pulev et al., 2019; Cattaneo et al., 2020;
Christopoulos et al., 2021; Teffo et al., 2023). Its
presence is associated with several habitat
features, such as rocks, stones, dry-stonewalls,
ruins, rubble, burrows, and shrubs, which it uses
for shelter (Teffo et al., 2021; pers. obs.). The
Caspian whipsnake’s range includes much of
mainland and insular Greece, including Lesvos,
where it is widely distributed throughout the
island and it is one of the most common snake
species (Pafilis & Maragou, 2020; Zevgolis et al.,
2023; pers. obs.).
Given the aforementioned event, we
postulate that parallel occurrences of comparable
nature could occur in the coastal fishing regions,
not just within Greece but also in other fishing
countries. In the Mediterranean basin, a signify-
cant fishing zone, 189 instances of marine fauna
ensnarement in abandoned fishing nets have
been documented between 2004 and 2021, while
in Greece has been reported 41 such instances
from 2016 to 2020 (Perroca et al., 2022). However,
to the extent of our knowledge, this is the first
reported case of a terrestrial serpent caught in
discarded fishing nets. On the other hand, the
fortuitous trapping of reptiles by sundry human-
thrown materials (Miranda et al., 2013; Blettler &
Mitchell, 2021; Zdunek & Kolenda, 2022), or their

Not only an aquatic threat: A Caspian whipsnake Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) entangled in
discarded fishing net onshore on Lesvos Island, Greece
195
unintended capture as bycatch in traps meant for
other fauna species (Crane et al., 2016; Christo-
poulos et al., 2021), and within artificial struc-
tures (Woinarski et al., 2000; Doody et al., 2003;
Manning, 2007; García-Cardenete et al., 2014),
have been well-documented in many cases. In
particular, trapping by farming and gardening
materials and equipment has also been witnessed
(Stuart et al., 2001; Brown & Sleeman, 2002; Kapfer
& Paloski, 2011; Šmíd, 2012; Christopoulos &
Pafilis, 2021; Zevgolis & Christopoulos, 2023).
Fishing nets pose a major threat to marine
(Gilman et al., 2010; Casale, 2011; Jensen et al.,
2013; Wilcox et al., 2015; Patel et al., 2022) and
terrestrial semi-aquatic reptile species (Alexandar,
2010; Amarasinghe et al., 2015; Naria et al., 2019;
Sindha et al., 2020; Vyas et al., 2020; Vyas & Patel,
2020), when they come into contact with them
into the water. It seems also that rigorous
terrestrial species can also be affected, when
fishing nets are dumped uncontrollably onshore.
According to Walde et al. (2007), the effects of
garbage and litter on reptiles are poorly
understood mainly because of the rarity of
observations that primarily come from chance
encounters. For the same reason, the effects of
discarded fishing nets on terrestrial fauna, and
therefore on reptiles, are almost unknown.
Our case, along with other quite similar
isolated instances (Bergmann et al., 2017; Vyas &
Patel, 2020; Blettler & Mitchell, 2021), sheds light
on an unknown problem, since, as far as we
know, the effects of the derelict and discarded
nets onshore on wildlife has not been assessed.
Thus, we encourage the publication of cases
of unintentional entanglement and trapping of
terrestrial animals in fishing nets, to the dissemi-
nation of information in order to allow for a com-
prehensive overview of the extent of the problem
on a global scale. Through such data, the scientific
community will be able to assess the systemic
risks and pressures associated with the issue.
To prevent further incidents, uncontrolled
net depositing should be avoided and disposal
methods should be established to ensure they do
not come into contact with wildlife. As an ideal
option, it would be the creation of specific net-
disposal sites in areas that are used on a large
scale, such as coastal and lakeside settlements. In
both cases, it is essential to educate people about
the effects that discarded nets have on wildlife. If
a trapped animal is found in a net or any other
item, it should be carefully removed, and the nets
should be deposited in a safe place. If someone is
not capable of doing so, it would be safer to
contact with relevant and expert people from the
area, such as wildlife conservation groups or vets
who are trained to handle such incidents.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank I.I. Kalargalis for his
help during fieldwork. We are also thankful to
the anonymous reviewer as well as the subject
Editor of the journal for their suggestions for
improvement.
All aspects of this study were conducted in
full compliance with Hellenic national law
(Presidential Decree 67/81: “On the protection
of native flora and wild fauna and the
determination of the coordination and control
procedure of related research”) on the humane
use of animals
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