A SHARK cage is to be released into the waters at Crooklets beach, Bude, to gather plastic waste.

In 2005 and 2006, Richard Peirce of Shark Cornwall blazed the trail, which has led to cage diving with blue sharks being an established opportunity for wildlife enthusiasts visiting Cornwall, Devon and south west Wales.

On Monday, July 16, on Crooklets beach in Bude, one of Richard’s original shark cages will take on a new role when it will be positioned at the top of the beach to act as a collection point for plastic waste. Attached to the cage will be public awareness notices warning of the damage being done to the oceans and marine life by plastics, and also telling of the threat posed by man to sharks — not the other way around!

Richard said: “My cages were redundant because once I had got the cage diving message out and others had started doing it, I stopped. I never intended doing it commercially — I just wanted to use experience gained in South Africa and elsewhere to show how it could and should be done.

“My cages sat unused in a farm nearby while I tried to think about what I could do with them. Shark cages always attract attention, and when I heard about Deb Rosser and A Greener Bude, I rang her up and offered the cages for use as plastics collection points. I hope it works — plastics are strangling our oceans and their inhabitants, and the cages will do sharks a favour if they play a part in stopping plastics getting into the sea.”

The first cage will be deployed on Crooklets beach, and if it works, it is hoped the second cage will also take up plastic duty on another north Cornwall beach.