The BlackNETs Project Description:

Over the past decade, there has been increasing international recognition of the need for multilateral efforts to address transboundary adverse ecological and socioeconomic effects of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), also called derelict fishing gear. Having been described as perhaps the most dangerous form of marine litter, it is important to not only understand the scale and nature of the problem but also whether existing management regimes can respond to this complex issue. It has been shown to have significant deleterious impacts to marine habitats and wildlife (including many threatened species). Recorded entanglements of seabirds, and marine mammals have largely been attributed to fishing gear (especially ALDFG) over any other form of marine plastic. Despite work being undertaken to understand the causes and impacts of fishing gear loss, abandonment, or discard, significant knowledge gaps exist concerning the “amounts and rates of ALDFG” as well as the “type, quantity and impact of sea-based sources of marine litter for most regions. These knowledge gaps notwithstanding, there is little doubt that derelict fishing gear poses a grave threat to the Black Sea's health. BlackNETs project quantifies and minimizes the impact of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gears (ALDFG) on the Black Sea environment. The main achievement of the project is at least 8000 kg of ALDFG from Black Sea waters through the pilot actions that will take place in each partner country (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkiye, and Georgia). The basis for these actions will be an awareness guidebook to prevent, reduce, and remove fishing gear in the Black Sea that will be part of the sustainability process. Moreover, the mapping of the hosting areas will facilitate further actions and next steps in making the Black Sea net-free. Another important output will be the capacity building and knowledge sharing by training, and promoting changes in the behaviour of stakeholders linked to the fishing sector through the implementation of good practices that minimise the loss of fishing gear and improve the voluntary collection of ghost nets. The public events and #ghostbusters campaign raise awareness of the impact that ghost nets have on the Black Sea ecosystem. BlackNETs envisages that through the ongoing efforts to combat ALDFG, a shared vision for “litter-free marine environments” would be realized among all of the various actors and stakeholders concerned and it will be a benefit for the entire basin, from various points of view (environmental, economic, social, etc.). This will not only remove plastic from the Black Sea for improved environmental health, but will activate relevant actors (recreational fishers, producers and retailers, NGOs, Universities, and authorities) to implement preventive actions and better monitoring of lost recreational fishing gear in the future.

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