Among the initiatives of Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale aimed at improving its environmental and social impact, in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the projects carried out in collaboration with Marevivo stand out.
These projects include operations to recover marine waste and abandoned fishing gear, such as ghost nets, which threaten marine ecosystems.
Ghost Nets Operation 2023
On Sunday, April 23, 2023, as part of Marevivo’s thirty-year campaign to recover anthropogenic waste and abandoned fishing gear from the sea, a dive took place in the area of Punta Bove, along the Argentario promontory. The operation, carried out in collaboration with Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale Società Benefit and under the supervision of the Harbors Authority of Porto Santo Stefano, coordinated by Commander T.V. CP Luigi Buta, is part of a broader initiative that has led to the recovery of over 10,000 meters of abandoned nets on the seabed in recent years alone.
This campaign, conducted by Marevivo in close collaboration with law enforcement agencies, represents a constant commitment to protecting the marine ecosystem.
The operation was specifically aimed at recovering fishing lines and artificial lures called “minnows”, which wrap around the branches of gorgonians growing anchored on the promontory walls and threaten life on the seabed.
During the operation, which took place in the presence of CEO Pierluigi Fusco Girard, hundreds of meters of fishing lines were removed, collected in three large baskets, for a total of about 10kg. Among the nylon lines, numerous plastic lures and hooks that put the marine ecosystem at risk were found.
These fishing tools, once abandoned at sea, continue to catch prey, damaging the seabed with their mechanical actions and tearing away benthic life forms.
During the operation, which took place in the presence of CEO Pierluigi Fusco Girard, hundreds of meters of fishing lines were removed, collected in three large baskets, for a total of about 10kg. Among the nylon lines, numerous plastic lures and hooks that put the marine ecosystem at risk were found.
Under the patronage of the Municipality of Monte Argentario, the company SEI Toscana took care of the disposal of the recovered materials. These fishing tools, once abandoned at sea, continue to catch prey, damaging the seabed with their mechanical actions and tearing away benthic life forms.
Ghost Nets Operation 2024
It took 10 divers and 20 lifting balloons to recover a large-mesh trawl net, a bicycle, and a net winch within the Regno di Nettuno Marine Protected Area at Punta Pizzaco, Procida.
Marevivo’s Ghost Nets operation, in the presence of Linificio CEO Pierluigi Fusco Girard, was held on June 8, 2024, on World Oceans Day, under the supervision of the Port Authority and the Municipality of Procida, coordinated by Commander Fabiola Ratano, with the Regno di Nettuno MPA, the Carabinieri Divers of Naples, ANS Diving Ischia, Stabiae Diving, Acqua VET, and Caplem.
1000 kg of trawl nets and waste that perpetuate their destructive activity on marine flora and fauna over time: gorgonians, paramuriceae, sponges, corals suffocated by the presence of these elements. Moreover, these materials tend to break down into millions of microplastics that then remain in the sea forever.
These tiny particles are the result of the degradation of larger plastic objects and can be ingested by marine animals causing physical and chemical damage.
Furthermore, microplastics can also be transported through the food chain, reaching our plates.
The problem of bottom trawling and pelagic trawling has alarming proportions in Europe and does not spare even Marine Protected Areas.
According to a report by Bloom Association, in 2023 the European Union recorded almost 6.2 million hours of this type of activity in its waters, 27% of which within protected areas: a true generalized emergency.
“I wish to express my deep appreciation for the initiatives of Marevivo and all partners involved in recovering ghost nets from our seas. As a certified B Corp company, we are firmly committed to promoting sustainable practices and protecting the marine environment. I invite everyone to join us in this collective effort to preserve the beauty and richness of the oceans. Only through joint and coordinated action can we effectively address this challenge and ensure a sustainable future for our precious marine heritage. For us, truly and actively contributing to a reduction in environmental impacts means putting products on the market that are based on circular economy models, and linen nets for food packaging, which dissolve in the marine environment without generating microplastics, are just one example.”
A certified B Corp company, therefore, which, using ESG objective 14, Life Below Water, as a compass, aims to protect marine resources and conserve biodiversity.
To achieve this, it is necessary for everyone to work together and increase public awareness about the problem of marine biodiversity loss and the actions that can be taken to protect it.
