News

Villasimius will host “GhostNetBusters”, an environmental initiative organised by the MEDSEA Foundation in collaboration with the Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area, with the support of Patagonia, to tackle one of the most insidious and least visible forms of marine pollution: abandoned fishing gear, commonly known as ghost nets. 

At the heart of the initiative is the recovery of a long abandoned fishing net from one of the most beautiful dive sites within the Capo Carbonara MPA. The net was identified and reported in recent months by local diving operators working in the Marine Protected Area. The underwater removal operations will be carried out by the 4th Underwater Unit of the Cagliari Coast Guard and the Carabinieri Diving Unit, while on shore the Naval Operational Logistics Base of the Forestry and Environmental Surveillance Corps will provide logistical support. 

At the same time, a beach clean-up will take place at Porto Giunco, coordinated by MEDSEA together with Cooperativa Diomedea. The activity will focus on removing marine litter washed ashore and will be open to citizens and volunteers, with participants meeting at 9:00 am in Piazzetta della Marina, Villasimius. 

In the early afternoon, the net recovered that morning will become the focus of a workshop dedicated to ghost fishing: an opportunity to explore and raise awareness of the impact of abandoned fishing gear on marine ecosystems and on the wildlife that becomes trapped in it, as well as the strategies that can help prevent fishing gear from being lost or abandoned at sea. 

The initiative is also made possible thanks to the support of Patagonia, which has a long-standing commitment to protecting marine and coastal environments through its environmental grants programme. Through GhostNetBusters, Patagonia is once again supporting local organisations working directly in the field to protect the health of the sea, backing an initiative that brings together direct waste removal, community engagement and scientific outreach. 

The action is organised by the MEDSEA Foundation in collaboration with the Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area and Cooperativa Sociale Diomedea. 

“Ghost nets are one of the most insidious threats to our seas: they can continue trapping fish, sea turtles and marine mammals for years after being abandoned,” says Francesca Frau, President of the MEDSEA Foundation and marine biologist. “With GhostNetBusters, we want to combine concrete action — the recovery of a net that has long posed a threat within the Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area — with awareness-raising, bringing together citizens, institutions and partners such as Patagonia in a model of collaboration that starts from Marine Protected Areas: places of extraordinary environmental value, but also extremely vulnerable.” 

Programme 

• Morning: recovery at sea of the abandoned net within the Capo Carbonara MPA, carried out by the 4th Underwater Unit of the Cagliari Coast Guard and the Carabinieri Diving Unit, together with a clean-up of Porto Giunco beach, with onshore support from the Villasimius B.L.O.N. unit of the Forestry Corps, Cooperativa Diomedea and MEDSEA. 

• Afternoon: workshop on ghost fishing featuring the recovered net, hosted at Primo Molo lounge and restaurant, in the Villasimius marina. 

Participation in GhostNetBusters is free of charge and includes a light lunch at Primo Molo and the workshop on ghost nets.