Another TED experimentation has just ended on board of a fishing vessel

The Turtle Excluder Device was the protagonist of a recent experimentation on board of the bottom trawler 'Togo' of Cattolica, to assess its effectiveness in avoiding the capture of turtles from and at the same time maintaining the capture of commercial species.

The experimentation of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) to avoid the capture of turtles in bottom trawling continues to be carried out by the researchers of the CNR-IRBIM of Ancona, who went on board the commercial fishing vessel Togo, from Cattolica.

The efficiency of the TED in excluding sea turtles and at the same time in maintaining the efficiency of the capture of commercial species, which turned out to be mainly mantis shrimp and sole, was evaluated. To do this, 4 hauls were made with a traditional net used by fishermen, and another 4 were made by inserting this exclusion grid before the net.

The experimentation, also this time, was successful: although turtles were not caught, the catch of commercial species remained unchanged!

objective

reduction of sea turtle mortality in the professional fishing

project in brief

The conservation of Caretta caretta, a priority species included in App. II/IV of the Habitat Directive and protected in various international Conventions, has been representing a strategic issue for the whole Mediterranean basin, with professional fishing being the main threat for the survival of marine turtles: every year about 130000 turtles can be accidentally caught accidentally in the Mediterranean.

The project TartaLife, involving all 15 Italian regions overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, aims at reducing:
- bycatches caused by pelagic longline, bottom trawl and fixed nets by disseminating technical innovations of the fishing gears;
- post-capture mortality through trainings for fishermen and strengthening the marine turtles First Aid/Rescue Centres

TartaLife project

Life+ programme

The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.

LIFE began in 1992 and to date there have been four complete phases of the programme (LIFE I: 1992-1995, LIFE II: 1996-1999, LIFE III: 2000-2006 and LIFE+: 2007-2013). During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 3954 projects across the EU, contributing approximately €3.1 billion to the protection of the environment.

Life+ programme