Strong Sea Life
STRONG SEA - Survey and TReatment On Ghost nets SEA LIFE
Photo of International Diving
STRONG SEA – Survey and TReatment ON Ghost nets SEA LIFE – is a project funded under the LIFE program, priority sector Nature and Biodiversity, on the funds established in the 2014-2020 programming. The project formally began in December 2021 and has a duration of 5 years.
The project purpose is the protection and improvement of the conservation status of Posidonia oceanica meadows and of Coralligenous habitats, which are both included in the Habitats Directive (92/43/CEE) and in the Natura 2000 Network. These habitats have been chosen for their high ecological value and their representativeness in the study area.
The project area includes the Gulf of Asinara and the North-western coast of Sardinia.
Featured
The "Guardians of the Sea" at the Night of Research
This year, Guardians of the Sea participated in the 2025 edition of the "Night of Researchers" within the ISPRA spaces.
The “guardians of the sea” are the researchers who are responsible for disseminating, in schools and elsewhere, the activities linked to the “Strong Sea” project.
Many people of all ages visited our pavilion, interested in the activities we carry out at sea and which we then share in schools.
Remember to report any missing nets you spot at sea!
News and events
Sharks in the Mediterranean: Strong Sea LIFE and ghost network management
As part of the “Biennale del mare e dell'acqua” (Sea and Water Biennial), held in Livorno from 14 to 17 May 2025, an event was held dedicated to sharks in the Mediterranean and how to identify them, learn about them and free them. Free them because they are often victims of Ghost-fishing, the ghost fishing that every year kills thousands of marine creatures. One of the objectives of the Project Strong Sea LIFE is precisely that of fighting ghost fishing, by removing or deactivating nets and fishing gear lost at sea, as illustrated by the scientific director of the project, Dr. Serena Lomiri.
Reef Rangers: Students in Defense of Marine Habitats
The Strong Sea project aims to protect and improve the conservation status of the priority habitat of Posidonia oceanica meadows and the coralligenous Reefs habitat. With these premises, it can only encourage and promote another project, as innovative as it is revolutionary, created by STEAM POWER: “𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐅 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒”!
Video interview with the Commander of the Port Authority of Porto Torres
To carry out its activities, the Project Strong Sea LIFE relies on partners and collaborators, who are a valuable point of reference both for ongoing activities and for those that will need to be continued even after the end of the project.
Important, in this regard, is the collaboration with the Port Authority of Porto Torres, which is responsible, among other tasks, for protecting the marine environment and its ecosystems in the area of interest of the project; in addition to this, the Port Authority is also responsible for monitoring the entire maritime fishing chain, therefore also the issue of lost fishing gear, which is one of the main concerns underlying the project.