This AI-generated work about abandoned fishing nets addresses an ongoing problem in which such nets threaten the ecosystem and fish populations of Lake Peipsi. During cleanup campaigns organized by the Environmental Board in 2024, 555 old gillnets with a total length of 38.8 kilometers were removed from the lake. Over the course of four cleanup days, many dead fish were found in the nets, but 128 live fish were successfully rescued and released back into the lake. Gillnets pose a danger to fish, aquatic animals, and waterbirds, and can also damage fishing equipment and boat engines.
The Environmental Board has been organizing such cleanup efforts on Lake Peipsi since 2006, and over the years a total of 12,584 gillnets with an approximate combined length of 880 kilometers have been removed from the lake. This demonstrates the scale and persistence of the problem—each year, hundreds of kilometers of abandoned nets must be cleared, as they continue to harm the ecosystem and kill fish.
The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Marine Litter Directive require Member States to take measures to reduce marine pollution, including abandoned fishing gear. Although Lake Peipsi is a freshwater lake, similar principles apply to inland waters. Gillnets are a global issue—millions of seabirds and marine mammals die each year in abandoned nets in the oceans. In the context of Lake Peipsi, the scale is smaller but relatively just as serious—each dead fish is a loss to already pressured fish populations.
The work also documents the everyday frustration of fishermen, who regularly have to deal with nets left behind by others. This is not only an environmental issue, but also an economic and ethical one—responsible fishermen suffer from the negligence of others, cleaning the lake at their own expense and time.

Prompt:
"A realistic environmental scene on a calm freshwater lake in Estonia during good weather. The sky is clear and bright, with soft sunlight reflecting on the water's surface. The lake water is musty and murky below the surface, dark green with suspended sediment. Two young Estonian fishermen in a modern small fishing boat pull up an abandoned fishing net covered in algae and debris. Several small dead Estonian freshwater fish, in the early stages of decomposition, are tangled in the ghost net, showing dull, fading colors, softening bodies, and natural texture, without being overly graphic. Small, neatly coiled fishing nets and gear are visible on the boat, indicating their everyday work. The fishermen's facial expressions and body language show frustration and fatigue, clearly fed up with repeatedly encountering abandoned nets. The heavy, tangled net drips dirty water as it is hauled aboard. The scene highlights environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, and the quiet burden placed on local fishermen. Cinematic composition, ultra-realistic textures, high detail, documentary photography style.
Documentary photojournalism aesthetic: natural lighting emphasizing authentic moment of environmental cleanup work. Focus on realistic human emotion – frustration, fatigue, determination. Color palette dominated by natural freshwater tones – dark greens of murky water, browns and grays of algae-covered nets, bright blues of clear sky contrasting with dark water. Sharp focus on fishermen and tangled net in foreground, establishing lake context in background.
Background context: ghost nets, abandoned fishing gear, environmental cleanup, Lake Peipsi conservation, fishermen's burden. Educational, evidence-based, human-centered environmental documentation."