Milan, November 11 (askanews) – A ghost net weighing over a ton lay on the seabed off Genoa, entangled in the remains of a former oil rig. Today, it was finally removed, following ten days of diving and one of the most complex recoveries ever undertaken in the Ligurian Sea.
The operation, coordinated by divers from the Carabinieri Centre in Genoa with the support of WWF Italy, brought to the surface 1.100 kilos of abandoned nets between 4 and 45 metres deep.
Inside, the remains of fish and coral trapped for years.
The net was hoisted aboard in several sections and delivered to AMIU Genova for disposal, which will be carried out according to marine waste procedures: the material will be used for energy recovery.
Tiziana Merlino, digital and ecological transition manager at Amiu: "Amiu is working on several circular economy projects similar to the one we're discussing. The goal, in the future, is to achieve total material recovery in addition to the energy recovery we'll be achieving in this case."
The initiative is part of the WWF Ghost Gear project, funded by the Segre Foundation, which aims to map, recover, and prevent the loss of fishing nets in the Mediterranean, promoting a circular economy for decommissioned nets.
Elettra Giampaoletti, Marine Officer, WWF Italy: "It's estimated that every year, globally, between 500,000 and 1 million tons of ghost fishing gear end up in our seas, and this accounts for only ten percent of the marine debris that pollutes our environment."
In the Mediterranean Sea alone, ghost nets pose one of the most serious threats to biodiversity. WWF invites citizens and marine operators to report the presence of lost gear using the WWF Ghost Net Zero app, so that together we can continue to clean the seabed.
Notizie.it editorial team