DOO Komunalne djelatnosti (Public enterprise for waste management services) Ulcinj and NGO Green Home have launched the MARICIES project (Marine Awareness, Recycling, and Innovation through Community Engagement and Solutions) with a workshop held yesterday (Tuesday, December 24, 2024) in Ulcinj.
The goal of the workshop is to raise awareness and educate citizens, especially fishermen, about the issue of managing old fishing nets – ghost gear. Participants were introduced to the project, planned activities, and the problems associated with poor management of worn-out fishing equipment.
Fishing gear, including lost or discarded nets, ropes, and other equipment found in the sea, continues to “catch” fish and other marine species long after we stop using it if not properly disposed of. Fishing gear constitutes about 10% of marine debris, with an estimated 500,000 to 1 million tons of fishing gear discarded or lost in seas and oceans annually. This gear threatens seabirds, fish, sharks, turtles, rays, and other marine organisms, which get trapped or entangled in the nets and die from injuries, exhaustion, or starvation. When ingested, fishing gear can cause perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, obstruction, sepsis, toxicity, and starvation in animals. Fishing nets are among the most dangerous items because they can extend to great depths and entangle fish. They travel thousands of kilometers and continue to ensnare marine animals even when inactive on the seafloor.
Fishing equipment can last for hundreds of years in the sea, posing a threat to marine life, habitats, coastal communities, and our health during that time. Besides causing the death of an estimated 2-3 trillion fish and other aquatic animals annually, this waste is also problematic for ship propellers.
The MARICIES project aims to prevent marine debris by improving the management system of end of use fishing nets in the municipality of Ulcinj, contributing to better collection of discarded nets and their inclusion in the circular economy system, as well as exploring the potential for producing new items from this material.
The MARICIES project is supported by the European Union through the REMEDIES project.
