The first protocol to stop ghost fishingʼs environmental impact in Catalonia is presented

This new protocol -the first one developed in Catalonia to stop the effects of ghost fishing- is led by Bernat Hereu, lecturer at the Faculty of Biology and member of the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio), and coordinated by Joan Ylla, head of the Secció de Protecció del Litoral i Medi Marí (Section of Protection of Coasts and Marine Environment) of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Generalitat de Catalunya.

Ghost fishing: a trap for marine lives

Fishing nets and tools that are lost in the seabeds are a serious threat to marine lives. Stuck in rocks under the sea, fishing gears are “ghost nets” that catch fish inactively but which do not benefit fisheries. Also, these can create situations of risk for those who are sailing (tangled nets in boatsʼ propellers, for instance) and for swimmers and divers.

In Catalonia, the fishing sector plays an important economic and social role, which has to be balanced with the conservation of natural resources. In this situation, in 2015, the Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park, in collaboration with UB-IRBio experts, launched a program with the motto “Letʼs stop ghost fishing”. The program, pioneer in Catalonia, defined the bases for the new protocol to take the fishing nets and gears -recreational and artisanal fishing- that were lost in seabeds, and prevent them from causing a severe environmental impact on marine ecosystems.  

Moreover, the UB-IRBio team set a website to help identifying and taking back the ghost nets, apart from raising awareness on its real impact on the species, habitats and marine ecosystems. In this context, the Department of Agriculture also offers an institutional electronic mail (protecciomarina@gencat.cat) where people can inform about the detection of lost fishing gears and therefore help the response from Administration.

Protecting coastal marine ecosystems in Catalonia

The session that took place in the DARP head offices also held the presentation of a protocol to protect corals, an initiative led by ICM-CSIC to bring back to the sea those corals that are taken in the fight against illegal fishing. Other participants in the session were Sergi Tudela, head of the Directorate-General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Ferran Miralles, head of the Directorate-General of Environmental Policies and Environment; Rosario Allué, head of the Service of Marine Resources, and the researchers Joaquim Garrabou (ICM-CSIC) and Bernat Hereu (UB-IRBio), both members of the Marine Biodiversity Conservation Group (MedRecover).   

Manifesto for the protection of seabeds

To close the session, several entities signed the manifesto La conservació del coral·ligen, un objectiu comú, which supports the work lines launched by Generalitat de Catalunya to protect the natural heritage of marine ecosystems.

The report, that supports collaboration and commitment to the future of marine ecosystems in Catalonia, was signed by Club dʼImmersió Biologia (CIB) ─an entity created in 1983 in the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona which outstands in the defending of respectful immersion with the environment─, the Catalan Federation of Subaquatic Activities (FECDAS), the International Forum for Sustainable Underwater (IFSUA), the Catalan Association of Diving Centers and Marine Activities, the Association of Diving Centers in Costa Brava, The Association of Recreational Diving in Spain, and Scuba Schools International (SSI).



 

Photos: Marine Biodiversity Conservation Group (MedRecover)