The Generalitat and the Oceanogràfic Foundation remove a lost fishing net of more than one kilometer from the seabed of Calpe

A team of professional divers made up of technicians from the Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Coast Guard Team of Protected Natural Areas have participated in the complete removal of an abandoned fishing net more than one kilometer long located on the seabed of Mascarat, in Calpe, within a specially protected area of the Serra Gelada Natural Park.

The extraction operation has been possible thanks to the active collaboration of the Directorate General of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries, the Ministry of the Environment, Infrastructure and Territory and the fishermen of the port of Altea.

The net was detected during the first week of May by two recreational underwater fishermen, who alerted both the Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Coast Guard Team of the Serra Gelada Natural Park. The gear, set at a depth of about 20 meters and a short distance from the coast, posed a risk to the marine ecosystem of the area and to users of underwater activities who frequent the area, since it did not have signaling elements.

Following the warning, technicians from the Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Coast Guard Team traveled to the area to carry out a detailed inspection, assess the affected fauna and plan a removal protocol in safe conditions. Subsequently, the finding was formally communicated to the Valencian Generalitat, through the Ministries, which are the competent authority in this type of action.

On June 6, and after coordinating the necessary resources, the net was removed with the support of boats and technical personnel from the Altea fishermen’s association. The complexity of the operation required precise intervention to minimize the impact on the marine environment and ensure the complete extraction of the gear.

The extraction of the nets was controlled and supervised at all times by the Fisheries Inspection Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries.

During the work, more than 15 species of marine fauna affected by the net were documented, some of them included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), such as the shi drum (Sciaena umbra), the dentex (Dentex dentex), the yellow gorgonian (Leptogorgia sarmentosa) and the eagle ray (Myliobatis aquila). This high biodiversity highlights the ecological sensitivity of the area and the need to preserve its habitats.

Although this type of gear can be accidentally lost during fishing activities, its prolonged presence on the seabed can cause serious damage to biodiversity and alter the balance of ecosystems.

This action, the result of cooperation between administration, fishermen, citizens and scientific entities, highlights the effectiveness of alert and rapid response networks to threats to the marine environment. The Oceanogràfic Foundation will continue to promote joint actions with the Valencian Generalitat to detect, remove and prevent the accumulation of lost fishing gear, within the framework of its commitment to the conservation of the Mediterranean and its most vulnerable species.