Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General:

Establish a protocol for the location, removal and documentation of PPPs on the coasts of Catalonia. Due to the high diversity of activities and uses of the coastline, this project can only be conceived as a collaborative project with the participation in the different phases of all sectors involved in the use and conservation of the coastline. To raise awareness among the various sectors involved in order to eliminate or reduce the impacts of lost fishing gear on the seabed of the Catalan coast.

Specific:

1. To reduce the number of fishing gear lost on the seabed of Catalonia.

2. Obtain information on the incidence, type and number of fishing gear lost off the Catalan coast.

3. To determine and quantify the effects of lost fishing gear on species and the seabed (e.g. benthic habitats).

4. Develop new tools for use and management to minimize this problem.

A1. Creation of the protocol and Design and creation of informative material

1.1. Coordination meeting work approach

1.2. Searching for information

1.3. Creation of a protocol for the description and extraction of PPPs

1.4. Editing, managing and updating digital platforms

1.5. Design and creation of informative material on paper

A2. Outreach actions: public appearances

2.1. Distribution of leaflets and posters at points and centres of interest

2.2. Holding of information sessions

2.3. Information to the media

A3. Creating and Deploying a Database

A4. Extraction of PPPs from the seabed

A5. Preparation and workshop of project conclusions

The project has expanded knowledge around lost fishing gear and its impact on the marine environment through a series of activities.

On the one hand, the “Protocol for the detection and extraction of lost fishing gear on the Catalan coast” was drawn up, published on the project’s website. The document includes the Lost or Abandoned Fishing Gear Locator and Information Form and the Removal Information Collection Form. In addition, informative material was prepared on this problem – leaflets, posters, posters – as well as two videos on the extraction of PPPs in Salines and Ferriola.

In this sense, for the PPP documentation work, a georeferenced database was developed with the list and characterization of the PPPs sighted and extracted, including information regarding the number, location and characteristics (area, depth, associated materials, fixation to the substrate). Likewise, a report was prepared with the analysis of the results obtained that includes the digital map of the project with the exact locations where the extractions have been carried out. In total, 34 lost fishing gear were removed from the seabed and subsequently recycled in the corresponding ports. Of these, 16 rigs were extracted on the coast of the Formigues Islands, and another ten on the coast of the Cap de Creus Natural Park. The rest of the lost gear extracted was located through underwater prospecting in the natural parks of Cap de Creus and Montgrí, the Medes Islands and Baix Ter, all protected areas.

The volume of the removed gear was 1,932.5 m², most of which were trammel nets, purse seine nets, traps and longlines, all minor gears used by the Catalan fishing fleet. All the extractions were made at a depth of 30 m, which coincides with the depth at which fishermen set and lose their nets, since the trawl fishing fleet is carried out at minimum depths of 50 m. Only one rig was removed at a depth of 53 m. in collaboration with the underwater units of the Rural Agents and the Mossos d’Escuadra. Fishing gear derived from recreational fishing, such as fishing lines, hooks and sinkers, were widely found in the rocky coves of the Cap de Creus Natural Park.

These lost rigs have affected 33 uprooted, trapped or broken species, some of them endemic to the Mediterranean, such as Cystoseira zozteroides, Posidonia oceanica, Paramuricea clavata, Leptogrogia sarmentosa or Corallium rubrum, listed as “Endangered” by the IUCN Red List, 2016. During the removal actions, it was possible to release 49 individuals in situ, most of them molluscs or crustaceans entangled in the fishing nets.

In line with these actions, a report was prepared documenting the impacts of PPPs in Catalonia, highlighting that ghost fishing and erosion of benthic communities are the most important, affecting 13 and 14 species, respectively. Both affect long-lived, endangered and protected species, impacting habitats of great ecological richness such as coralligenous, where most of the withdrawn fishing gear has been detected.

On the other hand, various awareness-raising events were held:

• Session Removal of lost fishing gear aimed at sea users during the Mediterranean Diving Show 2020, held at the Fira de Cornellá. 29 people attended, mostly recreational divers.
• Online conference Online round table Ghost Networks. 81 people attended at the beginning of the day and at the end there were 44 participants connected.
• Participation in the VII International Symposium on Marine Sciences 2020, held online, with an oral presentation.
• Briefing Inform. Cicle Xerrades divulgatives sobre el medi marí at the Orca Diving Center L’Escala. 9 people attended, especially recreational divers.
• Volunteer day Training and immersion to know, observe and photograph the problem of ghost nets in the Maresme area at the Blaumar diving center. 22 volunteers attended. The activity included dives to identify the exact coordinates of lost rigging, as well as the characteristics and conditions.
• Online workshop to present the results and define the management tools, using the criteria and recommendations for mitigating the effect of PPPs and the development of new coordinated actions.