Sicilian Divers Combine Ghost Net Removal With Coral Restoration

Divers, marine scientists and conservationists are working together on a project in Sicily that combines the removal of abandoned fishing nets with underwater biodiversity monitoring and coral restoration.

The initiative is centred around Isola delle Femmine on Sicily’s northwestern coast, where recreational divers, Sea Shepherd Italy volunteers and researchers from the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station are working together to tackle the impact of ghost fishing gear.

A four-day workshop called Blue Sentinel 2026 was held in June, bringing the groups together to work on ghost net recovery, biodiversity monitoring and coral restoration.

One of the changes to the approach involves dealing with marine life caught in abandoned nets while the net is still underwater. Divers are trained to identify and carefully remove living corals, sponges and other organisms from the gear before the net is brought to the surface, allowing them to be returned directly to the seabed.

Sea Shepherd Italy says its ghost net campaign has removed almost 13 tonnes of fishing nets from more than 11 kilometres of seabed through around 50 operations over the past four years.

The project is also training divers to collect standardised underwater observations. Researchers are teaching them techniques including video transects, species identification and measurements, with the aim of producing data that can contribute to long-term monitoring of marine ecosystems.

A separate project is working with local fishermen to rescue white gorgonians that become caught in fishing gear. The corals are stabilised before being replanted on the seabed, where their progress can be monitored over time.

The teams hope the approach could eventually be expanded through a wider network of diving centres across Sicily.

Photo: Jane Morgan

Source: ISPRA