Marine pollution, 3 tonnes of ghost nets recovered in Sicily
In the Ghostnets initiative implemented thanks to NRP funds, 52,000 square metres of seabed were restored
2' min read
2' min read
The first 'battle' was won: operation Ghostnets in the seas of Sicily ended with the removal of 3 tonnes of ghost nets and the restoration of 52 thousand square metres of seabed.
This is the restoration of marine ecosystems project envisaged by the Pnrr as part of the Ghostnets project for the recovery of abandoned, lost or disused fishing nets, which, as the Ispra emphasises, represent "one of the most insidious forms of marine pollution". Ispra, as the implementing body, has entrusted the economic operators Fondazione Marevivo, Castalia Consorzio Stabile and CoNISMa, the National Inter-University Consortium for Sea Sciences, with the recovery of fishing nets and gear abandoned or accidentally lost at sea.
The project
.The aim of the project is the "recolonisation of the areas, freeing them from the rubbish choking the seabed and eliminating a constant and prolonged threat to marine flora and fauna". Not least because "86% of the marine waste found on the seabed can be traced back to fishing activities, with a clear prevalence of abandoned, lost or disused fishing lines, ropes and nets".
"Among marine litter, abandoned nets represent one of the most dangerous threats to the ecosystem, as they settle on the seabed and become deadly traps for many living species that become trapped," commented Raffaella Giugni, Marevivo's secretary general. Their deterioration into tiny fragments also generates the release of microplastics that are ingested by animals and consequently end up in the food chain. This is why Marevivo has been promoting activities to recover anthropogenic waste and fishing gear for thirty years, actively collaborating with law enforcement agencies and various scientific partners. In recent years alone, we have recovered over 14,000 metres of abandoned nets".
The interventions in eastern Sicily
.The activity started at the beginning of the year with the first interventions in eastern Sicily and allowed the removal of about 3 tonnes of ghost nets from the areas of Siracusa, Avola and Milazzo, enabling the reclamation of over 52,000 square metres of seabed.
