200 Kilos of Ghost Nets Removed from Waters of Oropesa Del Mar

A team formed by the Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Azul Marino Foundation has removed nearly 200 kilos of lost fishing nets, also known as “ghost nets”, located about 30 meters deep off the coast of Oropesa del Mar.

The net was detected a year ago by a group of fishermen, who alerted the authorities after observing a mesh entangled in a submerged concrete structure. Over time, the net had created a risk for marine fauna and local fishing.

The operation, which had the support of the environmental guards of Oropesa del Mar, took place between 20 and 40 meters deep, in an area of high biodiversity, inhabited by groupers, sargos, corvinas, and multiple invertebrates. To remove the net, professional divers from the Oceanogràfic Foundation and Versemar were mobilized who, with the help of lifting balloons, raised the material to minimize the impact on the marine environment.

The teams transported the material to the port, and it is currently in the facilities of the Azul Marino Foundation for treatment. There, technicians will subject the net to a screening process to identify possible trapped organisms.

Similarly, the area will become part of a scientific monitoring program aimed at promoting its natural recovery. In the future, local repopulations are expected to help restore the ecological functionality of the site.

This operation is part of a broader program for the recovery of marine habitats in the Valencian Community, promoted by the Oceanogràfic Foundation, which has the support of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the GVA and the active participation of the professional fishing sector itself. The program also has private funding from INCUS CAPITAL, with the aim of restoring seabeds damaged by the loss of fishing gear.

Since the beginning of the project, more than three tons of nets have been extracted from the seabed of the Valencian Community, which directly contributes to the conservation of Mediterranean biodiversity and the health of marine and coastal ecosystems.