The LIFE European Sharks project, co-funded by the European Community, involves European citizens in a common effort to safeguard sharks and rays in the Mediterranean – by far the most endangered group of marine fish in Europe – threatened by unsustainable levels of bycatch, pollution and alteration of their habitat.
LIFE European Sharks promotes the protection of protected species and the conscious and sustainable interaction with sharks and rays, and provides:
--training activities for fishermen and fisheries control officers to reduce the mortality of protected species, promoting compliance with European regulations and improving the quality of data collection
-- the experimentation of voluntary actions by professional fishermen to reduce the mortality of sharks and rays, with an assessment of the socio-economic impact of these solutions
-- the voluntary release by recreational fishermen of sharks and rays, following manipulation practices that increase their likelihood of survival
--Reducing the risk of bycatch in lost fishing gear, with the cooperation of divers
-- Increase the public's understanding of the essential role of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean ecosystem, changing their image from "dangerous" to "endangered", and encourage the consumption of local and more sustainable seafood products
LIFE European Sharks started in October 2023 and will end in September 2027. It will be implemented in Italy, France, Croatia, Spain and Slovenia, effectively involving the entire central and western Mediterranean in the conservation of these species.
LIFE European Sharks (LIFE22-GOV-IT-LIFE EU SHARKS 101114031) is a project co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE programme. It is coordinated by the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station with partners in Croatia (University of Split), France (Marine Natural Park of the Capicorsu and Agriate) and Italy (Livorno Aquarium, District Competence Center, D.R.E.AM, Italian Coast Guard, MedSharks, Shoreline and University of Florence).
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European Sharks - a LIFE project