European marine pollution and waste collection initiatives

Various marine conservation initiatives are targeting pollution and debris across European waters.

In the North and Baltic Seas, efforts focus on recovering ‘ghost nets’—lost fishing gear that threatens marine life and contributes to microplastic pollution. Organizations such as OstseeRoyal use crowdfunding for professional recovery, while Ghost Diving Germany utilizes divers to remove hazardous nets from shipwrecks and the seabed.

In Italy, maritime conservation and safety efforts have expanded. The Lega Navale Italiana and the Guardia Costiera maintain a three-year agreement to promote maritime culture, navigation safety, and environmental protection through educational programs. Technological and scientific advancements continue, including the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to identify floating plastic and the DEEP-IMPACT project in the Ionian Sea, which employs underwater robotics to study deep-sea ecosystems.

Local conservation and enforcement efforts remain active. In the Ligurian coast, volunteers from Fondazione Marevivo, Arca Fondi, and Bper Banca have recovered waste to protect Posidonia oceanica meadows. In Calabria, the Sea & Rivers mobilization removed nearly four tons of waste, while the ‘Un mare da salvare’ project monitors litter along the Ancona coast. In Taranto, a specialized cetacean recovery center complements existing dolphin refuges.

Recent regulatory and economic actions include the release of 350,000 euros in Lombardy to support sustainable professional fishing and the inauguration of the Trapani Fish Market to bolster local supply chains. Additionally, law enforcement operations such as ‘Fair Fish Catch’ in Lazio have targeted illegal fishing, resulting in significant fines and the seizure of nearly one ton of untraceable seafood.