The project, which is carried out within the framework of the Pleamar program of the Biodiversity Foundation

Spanish fishing sector to recover at least 100 tons of nets and gear as part of 'Redes de España' project

SPAIN
Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 00:00 (GMT + 9)

The project aims to create a national certification for the management and recycling of fishing gear and nets that have reached the end of their useful life to enable their return to the production cycle

Madrid - The Spanish fishing sector will recover at least 100 tons of discarded fishing nets and gear within the 'Redes de España' project coordinated by the Spanish Fishing Confederation (Cepesca) and developed in collaboration with the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds (FNCP) and the Galician Automotive Technology Centre (CTAG).

The project, which is carried out within the framework of the Pleamar programme of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), also has the collaboration of the Technological Platform for Fishing and Aquaculture (PTEPA) and the AMICOS Association to disseminate their actions and promote the circular economy.

The 'Redes de España' project has a triple objective. On the one hand, to prevent pollution and its impact on biodiversity; On the other hand, to promote the circular economy in the management of discarded fishing gear and also to comply with the European framework on single-use plastics. To this end, the project includes the design, creation and implementation of a national certification for the management and recycling of fishing gear and nets that have reached the end of their useful life to enable their return to the production cycle through innovative processes.

This certification and its regulations for use will guarantee the establishment of a system for the collection, transport and recovery of discarded fishing gear that guarantees the entities producing the waste its traceability and reintroduction to the market, moving towards the goal of zero waste.

In this way, the fishing sector will comply with European Directive 2019/904, of June 5, on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, known as the SUP Directive (Single Use Plastics Directive) or Single-Use Plastics Directive. This directive will force states to promote a system of extended producer responsibility (EPR), so that producers of nets and fishing gear containing plastic comply, including the separate collection and treatment of waste from these fishing gear.

According to Nadia Moalla, Head of Projects and Innovation at Cepesca, “with the Redes de España project, the fishing sector continues to advance to respond to the environmental challenge posed by discarded nets and fishing gear.” “The initiative,” Moalla adds, “will take advantage of all the knowledge and experience accumulated with the REDUSE and REDUSE II projects and also expands the scope thanks to the participation of the FNCP, thus bringing together practically the entire Spanish fishing sector.”

According to Basilio Otero, President of the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds (FNCP), “Redes de España is a clear example of the potential that the sector has when it works with the same objective; It has been proven that the fishing sector is a fundamental part of the solution to the problems of marine litter. “With the VIGIAMAR project,” explains Otero, “we have worked on the geolocation of marine litter, now, together with Cepesca, we are taking action to transform it into new components for the industry.”

New materials made from fishing gear waste

The fishing sector grouped in Cepesca and the FNCP has the CTAG as a partner in the ‘Redes de España’ project to introduce innovative techniques that contribute to guaranteeing circularity, including the design of new materials made from components derived from discarded fishing nets and gear, as a first step to achieve the full reintroduction of these in sectors such as the automotive, naval or aeronautical sectors.

According to Raquel Ledo, head of the Product and Materials Innovation Department at the Galician Automotive Technology Centre (CTAG), “involvement in this project means advancing the centre’s strategic lines by transferring innovation capabilities, and progressing in the search for new solutions to achieve a real circular economy, revaluing waste from the fishing industry and seeking new high added value applications in the mobility sector.”

With a duration of 18 months, the ‘Redes de España’ project will run until January 2026 and is endowed with funding of around 1 million euros from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEMPA). The ‘Redes de España’ project also seeks to raise awareness about the problem of single-use plastics, the care of marine habitats and the potential of the circular economy, incorporating gender approaches and the inclusion of disadvantaged groups through communication and dissemination actions to society.

“This project is developed with the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Program, and is co-financed by the European Union through the FEMPA (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund)”

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