• This is an initiative promoted by the Sub-Directorate General for the Protection of the Sea of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, in collaboration with the Zero Discharges Association, within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation
• The aim of the initiative is to develop general criteria for litter fishing and to create a national database on unintentionally caught waste
• Two demonstration actions will be carried out together with fishermen from the ports of Fuengirola and Camariñas that will allow the proposed criteria to be tested and validated, as well as to assess their effectiveness
Within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the INTEMARES-Caladeros Limpios initiative has launched two demonstration actions for marine litter fishing with the aim of developing a national protocol for the collection and management of this waste. This initiative is promoted by the Subdirectorate General for the Protection of the Sea of MITECO, in collaboration with the Zero Discharges Association. In order to test and test the effectiveness of the criteria developed, two demonstration actions will be carried out, in the ports of Fuengirola and Camariñas, for the removal and transfer to port of marine litter retained in the fishermen’s gear during their activity. To organise and implement these passive waste fishing tasks, working groups have previously been held in both ports, with the participation of the fishermen’s guilds and port authorities involved, and in which the key aspects that have allowed the demonstration actions to be launched have been defined. Topics such as the choice of a suitable area for the installation of containers for the collection of marine litter, unloading in port for subsequent characterization and management, the preparation of a calendar of frequency of waste collection in port and the means of unloading and weighing, among others, have been addressed. All this has allowed fishermen and ports to have all the necessary resources so that the garbage extracted from the sea is received and managed properly, in accordance with the recently approved European and national regulations. NATIONAL
DATABASEOne of the objectives of the initiative is to create a national database on unintentionally caught waste. This database will improve the knowledge of the objects found and their possible link with the origin of marine litter and will serve as documentary support so that MITECO and any interested party can have information on marine litter extracted from the sea. This will facilitate compliance with the reporting obligations contained in European regulations and international conventions for the protection of the sea, such as the OSPAR Convention and the Barcelona Convention. MARINE LITTER
Marine litter originates from a variety of sources and causes multiple effects on the environment, health, economy, security and culture. For this reason, it is considered one of the greatest environmental concerns of our time by the United Nations and other international organizations. On a social and economic level, one of the groups directly affected by this problem is that of fishermen. Marine litter directly affects their livelihoods, damaging fish stocks and fishing gear. On a global scale, it is estimated that 70% of marine litter is found on the bottom, which makes it extremely difficult to locate and remove it, so the involvement and collaboration of the fishing fleet through passive fishing actions for marine litter is essential.
INTEMARES – CLEAN
FISHING GROUNDSThe INTEMARES-Clean Fishing Grounds initiative is developed by the Sub-Directorate General for the Protection of the Sea of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and has the collaboration of the Zero Discharges Association, within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation. This ambitious work aims to establish common guidelines for marine litter fishing in our country and the implementation of pilot projects to verify its effectiveness in the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network. This is an action included in the programmes of measures of the marine strategies of Spain, which aims to draw up a document of general criteria for litter fishing, which serves as a reference, framework and guidance for existing and future initiatives of passive fishing of garbage. This document will be agreed with all the agents involved (administrations, port authorities, fishing organisations, technicians, social agents, among others) to guarantee the coherence of these initiatives. EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED
AREASThe LIFE INTEMARES project advances towards the objective of achieving an effective management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools.
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge coordinates the project. Participating as partners are the Ministry itself, through the General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification and the Subdirectorate for the Protection of the Sea; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Department of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy, as well as the Environment and Water Agency; the Spanish Institute of Oceanography; AZTI; the University of Alicante; the Polytechnic University of Valencia; the Spanish Fishing Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF Spain. It is supported by the LIFE Program of the European Union.
