Last week, the NETTAG+ project took part in the Med Lighthouse Bootcamp, organised by the BlueMissionMed project during the ECOMONDO Circular Economy Fair in Rimini (4–7 November 2025).
This July, the annual Festa del Mare (“Festival of the Sea”) in Spadafora, Sicily—organized by the local Pro Loco—welcomed WWF Italy and the EU NETTAG+ project for a full day dedicated to tackling plastic pollution, promoting sustainable fisheries, and protecting marine ecosystems. The event drew over 2,000 participants and united local fishers, scientists, citizens, and environmental advocates in a shared commitment to the sea.
On a bright September morning, the peaceful shores of St. Thomas Bay in Marsaskala were filled with energy and purpose. A total of 81 participants including students and staff from Marsaskala St Joachim School summer school and STMC, Carlo Diacono Middle and Secondary summer school came together for a beach clean-up event organised by Aquatic Resources Malta (ARM) under the coordination of Officer Kirsten Bonnici, that combined learning, action, and community spirit.
United by a shared commitment to environmental stewardship, volunteers gathered on 22 May in the Fishing Port of Tribunj for a large-scale sea and coastal cleanup event organized by the Adria Fishing Cooperative with the support of WWF-Adria through the EU-funded NETTAG+ project.
On 30 May 2025, fishers from Patti, Sicily (Italy), actively participated in the EU-funded NETTAG+ project to test, for the first time during active fishing operations, the use of MyGearTag acoustic tags and the IRIS Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to prevent ghost gear.
On November 14–15, 2024, the NETTAG+ project participated in the 12th edition of Business2Sea, held in Matosinhos, Portugal. With a dedicated stand, the project showcased its portfolio of three innovative solutions designed to prevent, avoid, and mitigate the negative impacts of fishing gear and marine litter derived from fisheries activities.
NETTAG+ participated in the conference “Challenges and Opportunities in Integrated Water Management: From Source to Sea, held on 24 October in Serralves, Porto, Portugal.
This spring, the NETTAG+ team achieved a significant milestone with their acoustic transponder technology designed to locate lost fishing gear. Extensive testing was conducted in the North Sea by Newcastle University and Succorfish Ltd aboard the research vessel RV Princess Royal, focusing on the range, reliability, and accuracy of the transponders.
Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Program, Grant No. 101112812 (NETTAG+). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
UK partners University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Succorfish Ltd. are funded by the UKRI under the agreement on the association of the UK to Horizon Europe (Grant No. 10066822).
