Steorima
Framework :
FEAMP 2020-2024 project in collaboration with the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn & AGCI
Start date:
2023-12-01
Ref :
End date:
2024-06-01
Increasing the sustainability of fishing activities through cooperation between the marine fisheries sector and researchers involved in the management and conservation of marine resources is crucial to reducing the human impact on biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Through the introduction and development of technological and organizational innovations, the project aims to provide fishermen with valuable tools for implementing ex-ante fishing strategies to reduce the impact of their activities, ensure the coexistence of fisheries with protected predators (with particular reference to marine megafauna), increase the selectivity of fishing gear, reduce bycatch, discards, and fishing mortality, develop fisheries management plans that aim for a more sustainable use of marine biological resources, and ultimately promote the proper management of damage to fishing gear caused by interactions with toothed whales.
Biodiversity, innovations, FishingActivities, bycatch, sustainability
Objective:
To increase the sustainability of fishing activities through a synergistic approach between marine fishing production and the scientific research sector applied to the management and conservation of marine resources. This approach involves providing technological innovations applied to fishing gear and introducing new knowledge to inform those involved in fishing activities in order to facilitate the implementation of ex ante strategies aimed at significantly reducing the impact on ecosystems and marine biodiversity.
Activity:
WP1_Creation of permanent guidance offices for fishermen and related digital tools.
WP2_increasing the selectivity of both pelagic longlines (through the combined use of low-impact circular hooks and magnetic deterrents) and trawl nets (through appropriate exclusion grids), as well as increasing the selectivity of artisanal fisheries (through innovative, low-impact gear).
WP3_Implementation of training and orientation measures for fishermen regarding fisheries management plans, as well as through the spatial and temporal management of fishing aimed at reducing bycatches and/or undersized fish.
WP4_ a) mapping of interactions with protected sharks through interviews with fishermen, with scientific operators on board and innovative technological tools;
b) training of fishing operators on protected shark species and on techniques for the correct handling of any animals caught;
c) mapping of the distribution areas of protected sharks and their overlap with fishing areas through the use of satellite technologies;
d) a participatory approach—based on scientific data acquired through bioacoustic technologies—among various stakeholders to promote the proper management of interactions between dolphins and artisanal fishing, also aimed at possible forms of compensation for operators in the sector.
Expected result:
The overall expected result of the STEORIMA project is a greater harmonization of fishing activities with the conservation and correct management of marine resources, also through the permanent adoption by those involved in the fishing activities of good practices aimed at a sustainable use of the environment. It is hoped that these best practices will subsequently be transferred and replicated in other national maritime sectors, thus fully responding to the expectations of the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP; EU Regulation No. 13801201 3).
Area of intervention:
The project will take place in various marinas in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea, the Strait of Sicily, and the Adriatic Sea. The main marinas directly involved in the activities will be:
• Sciacca
• Trapani
• Mazara del Vallo
• Ancona
• Manfredonia
• Anzio
• Trieste
• Cagliari
• Pelagie Islands
• Egadi Islands
Organizations that collaborate with research
1. Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies (IRBIM) – CNR
2. Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS) – CNR
3. Cooperative Research Institute
4. Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST) – University of Calabria
5. Department of Biology – University of Rome Tor Vergata
6. Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)
7. Management body of the Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area
8. Management body of the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area
9. COISPA ETS Foundation
10. Experimental Center for Habitat Protection (CESTHA)
