Supporting fishing waste reduction and marine systems preservation in European islands and coastal areas

<< Background >>The world's oceans and seas form an intricate natural system reliant on delicate balance. Today, this equilibrium faces threats—overfishing, trawling, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and the dumping of chemicals into seas. Plastic waste, especially, poses a challenge due to its long lifespan and harm to flora, fauna, and humans. The fishery and aquaculture sectors significantly contribute to marine pollution, leaving nets, traps, and longlines abandoned, harming ecosystems. Southern European islands rely on a good relationship with the sea, integral to their sustenance and the blue economy sustaining communities. Given the necessity to preserve the marine ecosystems and not spoil the fragile economy of these communities, the project planned to address several needs: contrasting the abandonment of fishing gear, empowering local fishery and aquaculture workers in defending their own local marine ecosystem, providing lifelong learning opportunities to islander communities, supporting municipal employees in charge of environmental protection in overcoming barriers and helping fishery and aquaculture workers in adopting sustainable solutions, increasing the awareness of the public and of relevant stakeholders.<< Objectives >>Our goal was to reduce of marine debris resulting from fishery and aquaculture practices on Southern Europe islands while preserving the local marine ecosystem. The project aimed to enhance the knowledge of fishery and aquaculture workers on sustainability and improve their skills in adopting more sustainable practices. Empowering these workers, who share a unique relationship with the sea, raised awareness of their role in preserving the ecosystem, leading to the adoption of sustainable solutions to address marine debris. The project also provided lifelong opportunities to workers in remote areas. It supported municipal employees, enhancing their skills as trainers for local fishery and aquaculture workers, facilitating the implementation of sustainable solutions. This aimed to foster dialogue between parties and encourage behavioral shifts among workers, leveraging trust within their communities. Municipal employees were enabled to retain gained knowledge and continue training others over time. Finally, the project sought to increase awareness among European citizens, local communities, and stakeholders regarding the role of fishery and aquaculture activities in polluting the Mediterranean Sea and the Macaronesia region. << Implementation >>Firstly, a transnational report was developed, presenting the attitudes and knowledge of fishery and aquaculture workers towards adopting sustainable solutions. The report also provided insights from municipal employees dealing with environmental issues and members of Ministries of the environment, highlighting obstacles and needs for better sustainability services in partner countries. Best practices from other EU countries were collected to explore potential solutions, and training materials were developed for both target groups in all partner languages. The project designed and deployed an e-learning platform, furnishing participants with information, tools, and resources to support and enhance education delivery and management. Following its completion, two pilot tests were conducted—one for each participating target group. Project staff trained municipal employees to acquire the skills needed to become local instructors. Subsequently, trained municipal employees, under the supervision and support of project staff, trained participating fishery and aquaculture workers. To disseminate project outcomes to the youth, a series of podcasts were recorded for each participating country. Partners collaborated in defining podcast content and selecting experts in blue economy, circular economy, environmental protection, sustainability, and regional development as guests. The podcast series was broadcast live on free online radio, recorded, and made freely available to the general public. Finally, partners developed a set of policy recommendations concerning ocean sustainability. During this activity, they gathered valuable lessons learned throughout the project and presented suggestions to support national authorities in addressing marine litter. Throughout the project duration, various activities related to disseminating project outcomes and results were carried out through the partnership’s local networks and online presence.<< Results >>The project has produced several concrete outputs and results throughout its implementation. Initially, a Transnational report was generated, summarizing the attitudes and knowledge of fishery and aquaculture workers concerning innovative sustainable approaches in the sector. It outlined the main concerns and obstacles faced by municipalities in adopting these practices.Following this, a training program was designed to address participating municipal employees through a train-the-trainer approach. This program aimed to support fishery and aquaculture workers in adopting sustainable practices in their activities. An e-learning platform was also designed and deployed to provide a comprehensive learning experience for the participating target groups, maximizing their learning outcomes. Additionally, the platform offered access to project results and information for relevant stakeholders and the general public.To raise awareness among the European public and youth concerned with ocean sustainability, the partnership recorded and broadcasted a set of podcast series. Experts in the field of sustainability provided interesting and informative information.Lastly, policy recommendations for establishing marine litter stations in ports of the European Islands were drafted to showcase the benefits of this method in sea protection. These recommendations included the lessons learned by the partnership throughout the project implementation.