TO BE GENTLE WITH NATURE.

Veronika Mikos was born in Hungary and travelled to many European and international countries before she settled in the Netherlands 10 years ago. She worked at the European Centre for Nature Conservation which was based in Tilburg. Her deep respect and love for nature was strongly influenced by her parents upbringing. When she was young, they went for hikes and mushroom picking in the native forests.

HEALTHY SEAS COORDINATOR VERONIKA MIKOS.

“Once I tore off a leaf of a tree. My mom told me it would hurt the tree. This lesson has taught me to be gentle and kind with nature”. She has memories of her father building a housing for the swallows under their roof “other people used to remove the nests because the swallows build their home from mud which makes quite a mess”. When the family found injured or lost birds in the forest during the snow, they would feed and nurture them until they could be released. And when they would come across a stray dog, the family would feed him. Naturally, Veronika grew up to respect and protect nature with all its creatures, including plants and animals.

Conservation is an attitude, not a job.

Veronika takes pride in preserving anything she can. The 38 year old is in harmony with the environment, including the food she eats, the water she consumes, the clothes she wears, the cosmetic she uses, and the way she travels. Travelling, she says, would be her only “sin” from an environmental point of view. For her, sustainable travelling is feasible through the right mindset - supporting the local economy and community, buying sustainable and local products and services. Veronika won’t ever stop looking for better solutions for nature and its resources. And we at Virago are deeply impressed with this healthy and refreshing attitude.

But in saying this, the professional conservationist is serious business, having 15 years of experience in managing international projects in the field of nature conservation. She considers herself an idealist who has dedicated her life to helping the ocean and its marine life. Thus, it’s not far fetched that Veronika has taken on an important role as the Coordinator of Healthy Seas, a non-profit organisation actively fighting ocean pollution through the collection of abandoned fishing nets in our oceans & prevention. She coordinates most essential activities, educational work and makes sure the projects are inclusive of the locally operating fishermen and their communities, a role not everyone can take on. In saying that, she highlights that the power of Healthy Seas lays in the power of the people and her team behind the scenes.

Connecting THE DOTS OF A LEGACY.

Prior to Healthy Seas inception, voluntary divers of Ghost Diving were running sea clean-ups at the North Sea for one or two years. But the divers didn’t know how to properly dispose the nets. Recovered fishing nets were sent to landfills or incinerators to remove them from the ocean. Just by chance, Veronika and her colleagues met the sock manufacturer company Star Sock, who are very committed to sustainability. During the meeting, the team learned about nylon yarn being made of fishing nets. Together, they approached the yarn manufacturer company Aquafil and at the beginning of 2013 the storyline of Healthy Seas was born:

A Journey From Waste To Wear.

The young woman was chosen to be the project coordinator of Healthy Seas. All they had was a blank page, three enthusiastic partners and the idea of creating something meaningful. Based on their values, they created an open partner platform. In 2019, Healthy Seas became a foundation and its own legal entity.

ONE VISION, ONE MISSION.

Healthy Seas’ vision is to have an ocean free of plastic pollution, where marine animals can survive and thrive. The foundation aims to reduce marine litter caused by lost fishing gear through sea cleanups, enabled by deep-sea diving. All nets collected by Healthy Seas are subsequently reused or recycled to create brand-new products by its partners, such as Virago Active.

Marine litter is a serious problem which is negatively affecting all aspects of our life. The discarded, lost, or abandoned fishing nets are sometimes called “ghost nets”, are often found around shipwrecks which are highly important places for marine wildlife. Millions of marine animals, including dolphins, seals, turtles and birds suffer because of entanglement in these nets which leads to serious injuries and death eventually. Ghost nets continue to catch and kill wild animals, not only fish.

almost A vICTIM HERSELF.

Meeting hurt animals is tough. The conservationist had several meetings with entangled animals before. The heaviest situation she experienced, was with a cormorant. It had a hook in its throat and pulled a long line of about 10-15m length, carrying seaweed and branches. It was shocking to see. Veronika was in the midst of an ocean swim when she stopped after about 4 kms, feeling tired. But when she noticed the suffering bird, she collected all her remaining power and tried to help it. While aiming to free the head of the animal, she realised that many more lines were pulling from underneath. It was this heavy that even her legs were starting to get entangled. She felt trapped and helpless at this stage, panicking to become a victim herself. It was a long distance from the shore and no-one else out there to help her, despite seeing her. She knew she and the bird could die out there.

Eventually, a rope loosened and she managed to get herself and the bird out of this frightening situation. She brought the bird, still trapped, all the way inland. A fisherman was able to cut the lines and the hook and finally free the bird. A dangerous situation, which still makes her heart race thinking about it.

VERONIKA IN FRONT OF A MOUNTAIN OF COLLECTED NETS.

Ghost Nets CAN END UP IN YOUR BODY.

According to a new report, by 2050 we will find more plastics in the sea than fish. We have to respond to this knowledge and take action before it’s too late.

Ghost nets can cause a lot of problems for marine wildlife and ecosystems, but also for the maritime industry, navigational safety, beach quality, local communities and fisheries. Plastic waste doesn’t biodegrade. Ghost nets remain in the seas for hundreds of years and continue to kill every single day. In the meantime, they lose tiny little pieces, socalled microplastics, which then further pollute the seas, get inside the stomachs of our fish, seabirds, etc. and eventually end up in our food chain and in our bodies.

“I feel deeply sad for the children of our age, who have to see a damaged environment, lots of litter on the beaches instead of beautiful shells. For them that will be the “normal” while we can still remember that it is not.”

— Veronika Mikos

It’s not hard work to live sustainably.

Making the world a better place, protect nature and animals, enable those who have no voice and power to protect themselves (esp. from humans) is only one of Veronika’s goals. Not only does she inspire her friends and family to live more sustainably, but also does she create wide ripple effects in the lives of the people she meets. Just like ourselves, we feel how deeply she connects with her mission and would love to see more people like her. It takes stepping out of the high consumption circle, wearing more sustainable clothes, repairing old machines and tools and becoming aware of the impact those little decisions can have. If more people do the same, the impact will be huge.

The Future of Healthy Seas.

Scientists and environmentalists are warning, the decision makers and public has known for many years about climate change, ocean acidification and the loss of biodiversity. Overfishing and plastic pollution make the ecosystems even more vulnerable. Our seas and oceans are under pressure from all directions. We can’t wait for someone to make a decision, which it this obvious.

Healthy Seas has the potential to be expanded and replicated more widely. The foundation has plans to expand geographically, strategise its activities and expand its research. It will continue to organise sea clean-ups, working on prevention with more fisheries and build an education stream in schools and at workpaces.

Healthy Seas is partnered-up with Virago and receiving 1% of our profits. However, this is not enough to keep such a complex operation running. To keep Healthy Seas afloat, please make a donation via below link.

Donate Now.

If you would like to get in contact with VERONIKA and her TEam, please FOLLOW @HEALTHYSEAS on INSTAGRAM & visit HEALTHY SEAS.

We hope you enjoyed this article.

Stay true to yourself, dare & care.

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Lara

SHE WON’T STOP.