The Strong Sea Life project, coordinated by ISPRA and funded by the European Union’s LIFE Nature and Biodiversity program, was launched in December 2021. Now in its fifth year, it has recorded more than 180 reports of fishing gear lost at sea. In addition, 24 recovery operations were carried out. As a result, 156 craft were removed from the seabed. Moreover, these interventions made it possible to extract more than 22 tons of abandoned material. The recovered gear includes mesh nets, trawlers, traps and longlines. Added to this is their location at depths between 8 and 40 meters.
The main objective of the project is to protect and improve the conservation status of priority marine habitats. These include posidonia herbaries and coralgenic habitats. These two environments are included in the Habitats Directive and the European Natura 2000 network. On the other hand, the scientific analyses carried out on the recovered machinery have identified 89 species belonging to 50 groups of living organisms, called taxa. Among these species, crustaceans represent 30% of the total. In addition, there are algae and encrusting organisms. These data illustrate the process of progressive biological colonization that affects fishing gear lost over time.
A documentary entitled « The Phantom Catch », directed by Igor D’India, was previewed today. This film presents the results of the Strong Sea Life project. In addition, it traces the work carried out for five years by researchers and divers to rid the Mediterranean of more than 22 tons of lost fishing gear. Maria Alessandra Gallone, President of ISPRA and SNPA, stressed that this project demonstrates a concrete commitment to the protection of marine biodiversity and the promotion of a culture of sustainability based on knowledge, research and shared responsibility. According to her, the documentary presented today represents an important moment for the scientific community and is also an incentive for the younger generations to preserve the marine environment.
source : realites
