NetTag

15/06/2026

🎯 Turning results into impact is key.

Karla Corrales, ERINN Innovation and NETTAG+ partner, explains how we are working to transfer project knowledge to external stakeholders, identify next steps, and develop business and exploitation plans for its results.

🔄📊 From research to real-world application, the focus is on ensuring that project outcomes create lasting value beyond the project’s lifetime.

🔗 Learn more about the project: nettagplus.eu



+

14/06/2026

What if protecting the ocean could start with a game 🎮?

As part of the EU-funded + project, a set of educational games has been developed to raise awareness about marine litter from fishing gear and its impact on marine ecosystems.
Co-created with scientists, NGOs and fishers, these tools aim to make complex environmental challenges more accessible — supporting learning through interactive experiences.

🌊 🎮 3 games, available in 6 languages
🎓 🎮 Designed for students, educators and the wider public
📚 🧑‍🏫 Accompanied by educational materials for classroom activities.

By combining science, education and digital tools, NETTAG+ contributes to building greater awareness and engagement around ocean protection.
Play, discover… and become a Guardian of the Sea.

🎥 Video games developed in collaboration with Play&go experience
Teaser by Kokoro Kids.
Video real footage by Claudia Amico

🔗 https://kokoro-nettag-web.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/index.html

13/06/2026

🌊 Marine litter has a direct impact on fishers.

🎣 As Gillian Barbara Ainsworth from EqualSea Lab - University of Santiago de Compostela, partner in the + project, explains, collecting litter brings additional operational burdens, financial costs, and even safety risks for fishers.

🤝 + is working to address this by developing incentive programmes that recognise and support the crucial role fishers play in tackling marine litter.

More info at : https://nettagplus.eu/resources/

Missionoceanwaters Ciimar Newcastle University INESC TEC Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Cadilhe & Santos, Lda. WWF Adria WWF Italia

12/06/2026

🌊 Collaboration with fishers is essential to tackle marine litter.

🤝 Andrea Ivanković from WWF Adria — partner in the NETTAG+ project — highlights how working closely with fishers helps build trust and makes efforts to remove ghost gear and marine litter from our seas more effective.

🎣🌍 Turning cooperation into real impact for healthier oceans.

🔗 Explore the initiative: nettagplus.eu


Missionoceanwaters .up Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Newcastle University

11/06/2026

🐟 🦈 🐬 Ghost gear continues to harm marine life even after it is lost at sea.

As Marija Pia Gatt from Aquatic Resources Malta and NETTAG+ partner, explains, is addressing this issue through awareness-raising activities, workshops with fishers, and clean-up initiatives involving citizens and schools.


Missionoceanwaters Ciimar INESC TEC Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Cadilhe & Santos, Lda. Newcastle University WWF Italia WWF Adria

10/06/2026

🌊 Fishers must be at the heart of the solution to marine litter 🎣

Marine litter is one of the most visible pressures on our seas—and those who work at sea every day are often the first to feel its impacts.

Our NETTAG+ report shows that fishers are not just affected by marine litter; they are key actors in preventing it.

Insights from interviews and analysis across ports and fisheries reveal that:

🔹 Fishing activities are frequently associated with marine litter, but also offer clear opportunities for prevention
🔹 Fishers already play a vital role in retrieving waste from the sea.
🔹 Effective waste management depends on accessible, well‑functioning Port Reception Facilities
🔹 Structural barriers—rather than lack of willingness—often limit fishers’ ability to dispose of waste responsibly

When supported by the right infrastructure, incentives, and policies, fishers can become powerful allies in keeping marine ecosystems clean.

👉 Read our full report on fishers' current practices and needs to manage marine litter ad fisheries-related waste more effectively:https://nettagplus.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NETTAG_D2.3_Disclaimer.pdf

+ Arvi Innovapesca Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Aquatic Resources Malta WWF Adria

09/06/2026

From knowledge to action 🌍⚓

The NETTAG+ Final EU Event showcased how cooperation between science, fishers, and policymakers can reduce marine litter and lost fishing gear across Europe and the Mediterranean.

🎬 Relive the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=rmFyDscWPlefFIfj&v=3x4dGkUaOD8&feature=youtu.be

+ Ciimar Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Newcastle University WWF Italia WWF Adria Cadilhe & Santos, Lda. Arvi Innovapesca

On 14–15 April, all EU NETTAG+ partners gathered in Porto to presen...

08/06/2026

Better managing marine litter within the fisheries sector requires looking at the full picture — from its sources to the systems needed to manage it effectively.

Within the NETTAG+ projects we did a series of analysis and interviews with relevant port authorities and fishers across countries, and this is what came out:

🔹 A significant share of marine litter originates from maritime activities
🔹 Fishing gear and related plastics are among the most common items retrieved at sea
🔹 Port Reception Facilities play a key role in preventing waste leakage into the ocean
🔹 Large and small ports face different structural challenges in waste management
🔹 Fishers are not only affected by marine litter — they are part of the solution

🔗 Read our policy brief for improved marine waste management in EU ports:https://nettagplus.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PolicyBrief-1-July2025.pdf

Infographic developed together with Bianco Tangerine

+ Arvi Innovapesca Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Aquatic Resources Malta WWF Adria WWF Italia CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar

07/06/2026

🌊 Ghost fishing gear: the invisible threat haunting our seas - and the solutions already at work.

On 15 April, Póvoa de Varzim (Portugal) hosted the final event of the EU‑funded NETTAG+ project, bringing together fishers, scientists and engineers to mark the conclusion of more than three years of work tackling ghost fishing gear.

The event is now the focus of a new Euronews video feature, which delves into one of the most dangerous and invisible forms of marine pollution: abandoned or lost fishing nets, lines and traps that continue to catch marine life long after they sink to the seabed.

During the event, Euronews interviewed several voices from the project — from fishers directly affected by ghost gear, to researchers developing acoustic tagging systems and underwater robotics to locate and recover lost equipment.

A key message is clear: fishers' experience and active involvement have been central to designing practical solutions, from prevention to recovery and policy recommendations, with relevance for both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

The Euronews feature captures how innovation, cooperation and trust across sectors can help turn the tide on ghost fishing gear 💪

👉 Watch the Euronews video to hear directly from those involved and see the solutions in action:

https://www.euronews.com/2026/04/21/ghost-fishing-gear-the-hidden-threat-at-the-bottom-of-our-seas-and-oceans

+ Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar Arvi Innovapesca Aquatic Resources Malta WWF Adria WWF Italia Ciimar Cadilhe & Santos, Lda. Newcastle University

The NETTAG+ project, funded by the European Union, aims to combat fishing waste and mitigate its effects on marine life.

06/06/2026

The second day of our event was dedicated to showcasing the NETTAG+ solutions in action—from technology at sea to tools for awareness, training, and policy impact 🌊⚙️

Despite high waves forcing us to remain within the port, the demonstration delivered real results. The MyGearTag system successfully detected the location of a lost fishing trap, and IRIS was deployed to support its retrieval.
High waves and extreme sea conditions are among the main reasons fishing gear gets lost. Recovering it as quickly as possible is essential to reduce the risk of wildlife entanglement and the release of microplastics and other pollutants into the marine environment.

Beyond the field demonstration, the day also highlighted the full NETTAG+ approach:

🎮 Videogames and VR scenarios to raise awareness and support training
🕶️ Immersive VR experiences to better understand ghost gear impacts
📘 Good Practices Handbook and practical materials developed with and for fishers
📄 Policy briefs translating field experience into concrete recommendations for decision‑makers.

Technology, education, and policy working together—because tackling ghost gear requires solutions at every level.

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