PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Floating marine debris, including lost fishing gear — also known as abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) — has become a major threat to pelagic species such as the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). As a priority species listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive, loggerhead turtles also serve as an indicator species for on risks including climate change, bycatch and marine litter under the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The western and central Mediterranean basin is a crucial foraging and migratory area for 3 populations of loggerheads, but the ALDFG in this region is a threat to their recovery. Both ALDFG and turtles are highly mobile, requiring a coordinated effort across the basin to manage and mitigate ALDFG risks.
OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of the LIFEOASIS project is to reduce both the amount of ALDFG and the number of loggerhead turtles killed by ALDFG in the western and central Mediterranean basin. As a result, LIFE OASIS will contribute to global efforts for food security and reducing illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.
LIFEOASIS will focus on stakeholder engagement among the fishing and shipping communities to improve the recovery of ALDFG and the rescue of turtles entangled in fishing gear. To do this, LIFE OASIS will collaborate with the fishing community to create a replicable and sustainable anchored fish aggregating device (aFAD) management system, featuring intelligent aFAD prototypes designed to reduce the risk of turtle bycatch. These prototypes will introduce new technology for opportunistic data collection by fishing crews, which will be evaluated by an international advisory board of experts.
The project’s specific objectives are to:
- collaborate with fisheries to design, develop and test sustainable intelligent aFAD prototypes
- develop an aFAD business plan and management scheme with the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) working group and others including the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- involve the fishing community in marine conservation by promoting the new intelligent aFAD buoy as a tool for gathering data and monitoring climate change, marine protected areas (MPAs), fish stocks and more
- establish best practices for monitoring and retrieving existing ALDFG
- involve more individuals and organisations in reporting and retrieving ALDFG
- expand knowledge of ALDFG by mapping trends in ALDFG and turtle injuries or deaths
- increase the number of successful turtle rescues
- increase the number of people and organisations engaged in turtle rescues
- replicate the project results in other areas
- work with an international advisory board of experts to support global cooperation on aFADs and IUU
RESULTS
The project’s expected results are:
- delivery of 3 500 aFADs (including 60 intelligent aFADs) in 4 locations
- business plans devised and adopted in the same 4 locations
- 350 fishers involved in reporting and retrieving ALDFG
- 400 ALDFG incidents reported
- elimination of the use of polypropylene raffia ALDFG and 50km retrieved each season
- over 80% of port authorities, fishers, patrol boats, rescue centres, stranding networks, commercial fishing associations, sports fishing associations, yachting associations and diving associations are actively engaged in rescue activities
- reduction of 10% of ALDFG-related loggerhead turtle entanglements
- delivery of awareness campaigns in the target countries (Spain, Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco)
- delivery of communication campaigns with tailored messaging to 5 different target audiences.
- recognition of the Mediterranean as a laboratory for developing replicable solutions
- transfer of project results to other EU and non-EU countries, especially in North Africa