Activities

Poseidon

Promoting the Creation and Prototyping of Eco-Sustainable Anti-Trawling Blocks Made from Granite and Limestone Waste from Sardinia, to Protect Sensitive Marine Areas from Illegal Bottom Trawling and Preserve Biodiversity

Sustainable Development Goals:

Addressing Illegal Bottom Trawling and Deterrents

The Poseidon Campaign, promoted by the MEDSEA Foundation in collaboration with the Department of Engineering of the University of Cagliari, aims to protect our seas from illegal bottom trawling within three miles of the coast, especially in protected and sensitive areas.

The Damage of Bottom Trawling and Innovation in Anti-Trawling Systems

Trawling nets, when deployed in protected environments such as Marine Protected Areas, are not only prohibited but also cause severe damage to the seabed. They destroy priority marine habitats essential for the health of our sea, such as seagrass meadows and coralligenous habitats. Furthermore, they flatten natural refuges and leave behind an impoverished environment that requires significant time for potential natural recovery.

Traditional measures against illegal bottom trawling include the use of artificial modules like train carriages, cars, concrete blocks, and road barriers. While these structures help restore marine habitats, they have downsides such as the use of non-natural materials, high energy costs in their production, navigation safety issues, and a negative visual impact on the marine landscape.

Granite and Limestone Waste from Sardinia as a Solution to Illegal Trawling

Addressing these challenges, the Department of Engineering of the University of Cagliari, in collaboration with MEDSEA, has designed eco-sustainable structures using local granite and limestone waste, by-products of Sardinia’s extractive industry. These blocks, already removed from nature, are given a new life as sustainable barriers that not only protect but also promote the increase of marine biodiversity, thanks to their slow erosion in water and their structure that provides refuge and substrate for the growth of various marine species.

Goals

Build and test a local supply chain using natural waste materials to create anti-trawling deterrents, protecting Marine Protected Areas.

Support Our Campaigns

Our initiatives to protect marine and coastal ecosystems in the Poseidon Campaign are made possible thanks to the support of organisations committed to making a difference. These partners are essential in mitigating the negative impacts of illegal bottom trawling and strengthening the resilience of our seas, promoting their recovery towards healthier and more productive conditions.

It’s time to act, and together we can still make a difference. You too can contribute now!

Support our Campaign

Our actions are supported by organizations that want to make a difference to protect the marine, terrestrial and coastal ecosystem to avoid particularly negative impacts, also by strengthening their resilience, and to act for their restoration in order to obtain healthy and productive oceans and soil.

Together with some of them we have carried out concrete projects for the protection of our sea and for the creation of new Posidonia forests, for circular economy and precision agriculture to limit waste and protect natural resources like freshwater.

The actions that we will continue to carry out together in the next decade to protect our ocean and land will affect the future of our planet for centuries to come: we have a huge responsibility towards the planet, towards ourselves and future generations.

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Partners and Donors:
Department of Engineering of the University of Cagliari, Sardegna Marmi.

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