Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Baltic Sea

Date of latest update: 2023-11-06

Description

Description (EN):

Derelict fishing gear is addressed worldwide as a source of marine litter with extensive hazardous effects on the marine ecosystem. The project will be the first transnational initiative in the world providing an operation oriented, all target groups involved, all-in-one solution to turn a diffuse problem into a clear, transparent and apprehensible topic contributing to an enhanced international readiness to act. It will contribute to a Baltic Sea free from marine litter and hazardous substances and it will increase sustainable treatment of derelict fishing gear. Derelict fishing gear (DFG) is addressed worldwide as a source of marine litter with extensive hazardous effects on the marine ecosystem. Despite intense media focus the problem is poorly known in the fisheries industry and among politicians. The project will be the first transnational initiative in the world providing an operation oriented, all target groups involving, all in one solution to turn a diffuse problem into a transparent and apprehensible topic contributing to an enhanced international readiness to act. The aim is to developing cost efficient, safe and environmentally sound DFG cleaning methods identified through demonstration actions for sampled targets (soft sea bed/wrecks/rocky bottoms) incl. an environmental impact assessment analysis for sensitive areas. As a result a handbook on DFG cleaning methodologies consisting of evaluation of dragging operations and documentation of lessons learned arise. The project will constitute a baseline for future cleaning measures while gaining an overview on host areas in the Baltic Sea in the form of a map and developing a plan for post project operations. It also aims to increase responsible fisheries, while developing a code of conduct for the fishing industry. Other objectives include the improvement of fishing gears for responsible fishing and a minimization of the DFG problem, while improving the retrieval of DFG giving an overview about technologies to reduce gear loss. The project will compile recommendations for regulations on prevention in the form of a recommendation paper on national and EU levels. It should result in long-term impact on changed fishing strategies and legislations on the different spatial levels. An overview of harbour reception facilities for old fishing gear and DFG aims at improving reception facilities in harbours including an environmentally sound waste management for DFG. A feasibility study on economic solutions for DFG recycling should find efficient ways to reuse/recycle DFG in the best possible way. A DFG treatment scheme should point out solutions on how to prepare DFG for processing and finding economical solutions for recycling small volumes. To ensure the project sustainability it is essential to use intensive external communications to increase capacities of target groups (e.g. decision makers, the general public, fisherman etc.). Involving target groups leads to awareness raising, knowledge increase, attitude and behavioural change. This will be achieved through conferences, workshops, trainings for divers and fishermen, site visits for media and decision makers, campaigns & publications via various media channels. The regular internal communication for an effective coordination & consultation among project partners is essential to the achievement of project objectives. All project activities, outputs and results will create the basis for all future dragging operation in the Baltic Sea. It will contribute to a Baltic Sea free from marine litter and hazardous substances and it will increase sustainable treatment of derelict fishing gear.

Achievements (EN):

MARELITT Baltic is the first transnational initiative in the Baltic Sea region bringing together local and national government agencies, the fishing industry, environmental NGOs, the diving community, and scientific institutions to develop a step-by-step roadmap on how to tackle derelict fishing gear. These recommendations are presented in the Baltic Sea Blueprint, which offers practical guidelines on mapping, retrieving, recycling, and preventing abandoned fishing gear. Mapping and retrieving derelict fishing gear: The fishing sector’s active participation in the project helped them understand the environmental problems of derelict fishing gear and the need for a change in attitude towards more sensitive topics like prevention. On the issues of mapping and retrieval, local fishers and divers took part in planning and executing search and rescue operations for derelict fishing gear in Germany, Estonia, Poland and Sweden. In these operations, nearly 25 tonnes of derelict fishing gear was retrieved: over 6 tonnes in Germany, 0.35 tonnes in Estonia, 8 tonnes in Poland, and almost 10 tonnes in Sweden. The data collected was used to create a map showing ‘hot spots’ with high potential for lost gear in the Baltic Sea. Harbour masters, underwater archaeologists, environmentalists and scientists evaluated these operations with the aim of avoiding potential conflicts of interest when retrieving derelict gear in the future. A resulting recommendation is to have an underwater archaeologist involved in future shipwreck clean-up operations to minimise the risk of damaging cultural heritage. These groups’ practical knowledge was used to create and test a methodology for mapping and retrieval, which was presented to HELCOM, the fishing sector and relevant ministries in Germany, Estonia, Poland and Sweden. As a result, WWF Germany followed the Baltic Sea Blueprint’s recommendation to sonar for its retrieval efforts, and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management commissioned cleaning operations using the ‘hot spots’ map developed by the MARELITT Baltic. Recycling ghost nets: The gear that was retrieved went to fishing harbours either to be returned to the value chain or disposed of as waste. For an overview of how equipped fishing harbours are for this task, 50 harbour facilities in Germany, Estonia, Poland and Finland were surveyed and assessed. Trials were made to test the recycling potential of derelict as well as end-of-life nets. The lessons learned, such as the need to first remove hazardous objects like lead weights from derelict fishing gear that cannot be disposed of as commercial or household waste, are presented in the Baltic Sea Blueprint. Based on the methodology developed by the project, a new project in Finland on ghost fishing and gear recycling was financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. In addition, a Swedish dragging project in autumn 2019 followed the project’s recommendations on reception and recycling. Feeding national and international policy: Through systematic dialogue maintained by the project, key authorities and policymakers in national environment ministries, marine and water management agencies, agriculture boards and heritage boards in Sweden, Germany, Poland and Estonia gained awareness of the challenge and possible solutions. Using procedures developed by MARELITT Baltic, environmental ministries and fisheries authorities in Germany are presently developing an authorised scheme to fund lost gear retrievals by the fishing sector. Policy developed by the German Round Table against Marine Litter on waste management of fishing gear was informed by the project’s recommendations on harbour reception facilities and recycling of retrieved fishing gear. WWF Germany fed project results into various policy-level discussions in the Baltic Sea region and beyond. It presented the map that the project developed to show host areas of derelict fishing gear to the HELCOM Marine Litter working group. Solutions on how to process derelict fishing gear reached OSPAR, which regulates transnational cooperation on marine environmental protection in the North-East Atlantic. WWF Germany introduced the project’s findings on sustainable waste collection and management for derelict fishing gear to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries department at the EU Commission (DG MARE) and continues to be a consultant to DG MARE. Furthermore, project results have also been passed on to national ministries and agencies, which has resulted in, among other things, a process to draft the first national policy document on derelict fishing gear in Poland. Working together on a common challenge: With EUR 3.01 million of support from the European Union, the Interreg project Marelitt BALTIC raised awareness of the problem of derelict fishing fear in the Baltic Sea at all levels, from fishers to policy levels. It also showcased how joint actions across borders to map, retrieve, recycle, and prevent ghost nets bring real benefits to the environment. http://interreg-baltic.eu/project/marelitt-baltic/

Website: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Delivered Outputs (EN):

Methodology for planning and implementaion DFG mapping and dragging operation Environmental impact assessment analysis for sensitive areas Overall DFG host area map and a sampling plan for the targeted part of Baltic Sea Report on evaluation of dragging operations and lessons learned Post-project plan for cleaning operations to clean rest of the DFG host areas Responsible fisheries strategy and potential supportive “adds-on” elements Gear technological and fishing strategic methods to prevent and reduce gear loss Changes in technical fishing rules minimizing gear loss in future 1 Action plan to reduce gear loss Guidance and information for policy making survey of harbor reception facilities for DFG and old fishing gear feasibility study on economic solutions for DFG recycling DFG Treatment scheme pilot processing scenario report Information material about MARELITT Baltic Website International DFG campaign

Thematic information

Coastal management and maritime issues Waste and pollution

Specific Objective: ‘Clear waters’: To increase efficiency of water management for reduced nutrient inflows and decreased discharges of hazardous substances to the Baltic Sea and the regional waters based on enhanced capacity of public and private actors dealing with water quality issues

Thematic Objective: (06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:

Investment Priority: (06b) investing in the water sector to meet the requirements of the Union's environmental acquis and to address needs, identified by the Member States, for investment that goes beyond those requirements

Partners (9)

Lead Partner: Simrishamns kommun

Department: Executive office/Marine centre

Address: Varvsgatan 4, 272 36 Simrishamn, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.simrishamn.se

Total budget: EUR 825 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 618 750.00

Hoia Eesti Merd MTÜ

Name: Hoia Eesti Merd MTÜ

Address: Pirita tee 17, 11911 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.hem.ee

Total budget: EUR 519 840.00

ERDF budget: EUR 441 864.00

Fundacja WWF Polska

Name: Fundacja WWF Polska

Department: Mazowieckie

Address: M. Gandhiego 3, 02-645 Warszawa, Poland

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.wwf.pl

Total budget: EUR 650 800.00

ERDF budget: EUR 553 180.00

WWF Deutschland

Name: WWF Deutschland

Department: International WWF Centre for Marine Conservation

Address: Reinhardstraße 18, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.wwf.de

Total budget: EUR 506 108.00

ERDF budget: EUR 379 581.00

Keep Sweden Tidy

Name: Keep Sweden Tidy

Address: Högbergsgatan 44, 102 64 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.hsr.se

Total budget: EUR 485 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 363 750.00

Maritime University of Szczecin

Name: Maritime University of Szczecin

Department: Department for Marine Affairs and Practice / Ship Department

Address: Wały Chrobrego 1-2 , 70 - 500 Szczecin, Poland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.am.szczecin.pl

Total budget: EUR 225 500.00

ERDF budget: EUR 191 675.00

Kołobrzeska Grupa Producentów Ryb Sp. z o.o.

Name: Kołobrzeska Grupa Producentów Ryb Sp. z o.o.

Address: Wegorzowa 8, 78-100 Kolobrzeg, Poland

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.kgpr.pl

Total budget: EUR 240 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 204 000.00

Instytut Logistyki i Magazynowania

Name: Instytut Logistyki i Magazynowania

Department: Market Operations

Address: ul. Estkowskiego 6, 61-755 Poznań, Poland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ilim.poznan.pl

Total budget: EUR 100 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 85 000.00

Eesti Sukeldujate Klubi MTÜ

Name: Eesti Sukeldujate Klubi MTÜ

Address: Aruküla tee 8-1, 75301 Jüri, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.sukeldujad.ee

Total budget: EUR 200 100.00

ERDF budget: EUR 170 085.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Municipality of Simrishamn

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

Keep Estonian Sea Tidy

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

WWF Poland

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

WWF Germany

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

Stiftelsen Håll Sverige Rent

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

Maritime University of Szczecin

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

Kolobrzeg Fish Producers Group Sp. z o.o. [Ltd.]

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

Instytut Logistyki i Magazynowania

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Partners and Projects info

Estonian Divers Association

Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Project acronym: MARELITT Baltic

Project start date: 2016-03-01

Project end date: 2019-04-30

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 3 752 348.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 3 007 885.00

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.20%

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 3 007 885.00.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Websites / webtools / webforums / cooperative platforms

MARELITT Baltic

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Website / webtool / webforum / cooperative platform

Data source: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/marelitt-baltic/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-04-30

Languages: en

Attachment link: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Brochures / magazines / manuals

The Baltic Sea Blueprint

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/marelitt-baltic/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-04-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

A Treatment Scheme for Derelict Fishing Gear

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-09-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Practical guidance on DFG pre-processing

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-02-28

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Prestudy on Sonar Transponder

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2018-09-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

This is MARELITT Baltic

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-04-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Marelitt Baltic Communication strategy 2016 – 2018

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2016-03-01

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Videos / films

SILENT KILLERS OF THE BALTIC SEA

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/marelitt-baltic/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2018-11-30

Languages: en

Baltic Diving Solutions wreck cleanup diving operation in Polish sector of Baltic Sea

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-03-19

Languages: en

Reports

Derelict fishing gear mapping and retrieval methodologies

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-09-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Strategies for preventing gear loss in the Baltic Sea

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-05-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Development of a fishing gear marking system based on passive RFID technology

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-05-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Recycling options for Derelict Fishing Gear

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2018-08-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Recycling options for Derelict Fishing Gear - Executive Summary

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2018-08-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Environmental Impact Assessment

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2018-05-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Studies / surveys

Harbour Survey

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2017-06-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Prüfbericht / Test Report

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2018-01-26

Languages: en, de

Attachment file: Download

Ammunition Risk Assessment Study

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-02-28

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Recycling of Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) and End-of-Life Fishing Gear (EOL): Sub-studies on logistics requirements and economic viability

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: https://www.marelittbaltic.eu/

Publication date: 2022-07-28

Document date: 2019-03-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Baltic Sea

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-06-16

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

200 / 200 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

2 025 / 2 025 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-baltic.eu/home.html), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-30.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Reducing the impact of marine litter in the form of Derelict Fishing Gear (DFG) on the Baltic Sea environment

Description

Thematic information

Partners (9)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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