“GHOSTNETS”: nearly 3 tons of ghost nets removed and 52 thousand square meters of seabed restored in Sicily
The first marine ecosystem restoration operations included by the PNRR MER - Marine Ecosystem Restoration – Intervention A12 “GhostNets” have been completed
Every year, approximately 100,000 mammals and one million marine birds die due to entrapment in abandoned fishing nets or after ingesting the fragments they release into the sea. 86% of marine waste found on the seabed is attributable to fishing activities, with a clear prevalence of abandoned, lost or disused fishing lines, ropes and nets (ISPRA data). Ghost nets therefore represent one of the most insidious forms of marine pollution.
For this reason, ISPRA, the implementing body of the PNRR MER project, has entrusted the economic operators Fondazione Marevivo, Castalia Consorzio Stabile and CoNISMa, the National Inter-University Consortium for Marine Sciences, in the “GhostNets” operation, with the recovery of fishing nets and gear abandoned or accidentally lost at sea.
A valuable collaboration that brings together scientific, technical, operational skills and experience, at the service of this important operation to safeguard marine ecosystems. The final goal is to allow the recolonization of the areas, freeing them from the waste that suffocates the seabed and eliminating a constant and prolonged threat to marine flora and fauna. The activity, which began at the beginning of the year with operations in eastern Sicily, led to the removal of approximately 3 tons of ghost nets from the areas of Syracuse, Avola and Milazzo, allowing the reclamation of over 52,000 square meters of seabed.
This intervention is carried out within the PNRR MER, Marine Ecosystem Restoration, the largest project on the sea within the “National Recovery and Resilience Plan”, which sees MASE, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, as the owner administration and ISPRA as the sole implementing body. The project includes 37 lines of activity, to be carried out by 30 June 2026, throughout the national territory divided into three pillars: the restoration and protection of the seabed, the strengthening of marine and coastal observation systems and the mapping of coastal and marine habitats of conservation interest.
“GhostNets”, in particular, provides for the restoration of 20 areas in the Italian seas where the presence of abandoned or lost fishing gear and/or aquaculture equipment has been detected. ISPRA is the scientific-organizational architect of the entire “mapping → recovery → recycling” chain of ghost nets, ensuring that operations are effective, safe and useful for generating knowledge and new policies for the permanent protection of our seas.