The fishermen protagonists and ambassadors of a clean sea and sustainable fishing in Sardinia .
Thanks to the " FLAGS - the network that frees the sea " project, small and large cabotage boats have collected over two tons of garbage in the seabed around the island in six months , starting an activity that could be repeated in the future next to the normal fishing exercise.
The initiative is the result of a partnership involving the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cagliari (as lead partner), and the four FLAGs present in Sardinia (Eastern, Northern, Southern Western and Pescando). , through a loan provided by Argea for Measure 1.40 of the European Fund for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (EMFF).
The results of the project were presented during a press conference coordinated by Alessandro Cau, researcher and project manager on behalf of the Cagliari university.
FLAGS is a play on words between the acronym of the four local action groups related to fishing and aquaculture and the acronym of "Fishing Litter and Abandoned Gears in Sardinia", i.e. fishing waste and abandoned gear in Sardinia, whose removal is addressed the project.
THE OBJECTIVES – The experimental activity has focused particularly on plastics and no less on lost and abandoned fishing gear. Vessels of different types and tonnages have been involved, providing them with containers and equipment for collection and storage on board. Each vessel provided a contribution according to the minimum contribution: twenty kilos for small coasters, fifty for small trawlers and one hundred for large trawlers.
LARGE PARTICIPATION – The budget initially envisaged the involvement of four subjects for each of the Flags, but the willingness to participate was surprising, with a large number of requests . So the subjects have become twelve cooperatives representing twenty boats, from small-scale artisanal fishing and fishing tourism to thirty-five-metre steel fishing boats for deep-sea fishing, capable of staying out of the port even for five days a week.
