"FishNoWaste" project shows stark contrast in waste collected on either side of the Adriatic

The goal of the "FishNoWaste" project is to address the issue of marine litter in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea by enhancing waste reduction, collection, and management practices in fishing ports. Additionally, a PR campaign will serve to raise awareness about the importance of proper waste management.

The joint Croatian-Italian project to protect and preserve the Adriatic known as "FishNoWaste" has been ongoing in the "pilot port" of Tribunj for the past fifteen months. The project pays fishermen who bring waste materials caught in their nets to the collecting station, where it is weighed, sorted and documented.

"In one day we pull out up to ten kilograms of waste, but it depends on what part of the sea we're working," says local fisherman Leonardo Mijat.

Dr. Pero Tutman from the Split Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries notes that so far the results have shown a stark contrast in the waste being caught on either side of the Adriatic: "On the Italian side it's mostly lost fishing gear, while on our side plastic predominates. This, on our part, shows that the waste management system on land has weaknesses."

On the Italian side measures to recycle waste are already underway. Massimo Bellavista from the Rimini Fishermen's Cooperative: "For several years now in Rimini we have been recycling discarded, old fishing nets. We return them to the market as yarn for the production of 'socks', or pergola for shellfish farming."

While measures are also in place to remove harmful materials from their fishing boats: "The Veneto region is removing polystyrene boxes from ships because Styrofoam threatens biodiversity, the environment and tourism. Fishermen will use washable boxes in the future, with 2030 being the deadline for replacement," concluded Alberto Barausse from the biology department at the University of Padua.

Source: HRT