Fishing nets at a harbour in Galicia, Spain.
Photo: CEPESCA
A new project in Spain is aiming to transform the way discarded fishing nets and gear are handled, paving the way for a more sustainable and circular fishing industry.
Known as Redes de España (Nets of Spain), the initiative seeks to recover and recycle at least 100 tonnes of discarded nets and fishing equipment by 2026, helping to protect marine ecosystems and reduce waste.
The project, coordinated by the Spanish Fishing Confederation (CEPESCA), working alongside partners including the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds (FNCP), is developing a pioneering regulatory framework that will ensure discarded nets and gear are properly collected, managed, and traced throughout the entire recycling process. Once finalised, it will be certified through a national accreditation scheme.
The project's multisectoral committee, tasked with advising on and shaping the proposed regulation, includes representatives from the Spanish fishing sector, port authorities, suppliers, recyclers, certification bodies, and environmental organisations.
Once in place, the new regulation will outline specific processes, from the collection and processing of nets to their reuse or recycling in industries such as automotive, shipbuilding, and aeronautics, ensuring that sustainability standards are maintained at every stage, CEPESCA said.
In addition to providing a clear set of rules on how to manage end-of-life fishing gear, the project will also focus on training, outreach, and awareness-raising activities to support a broader shift towards sustainability within the fishing sector and beyond.
“With the Redes de España project, the fishing sector continues to make progress in responding to the environmental challenge posed by discarded fishing nets and gear," said Nadia Moalla, Head of Projects and Innovation at Cepesca, in a Spanish-language press release, adding that through the participation of the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds, the project would bring together "practically the entire Spanish fishing sector".
“Redes de España is a clear example of the potential that the sector has when it works with a common objective; it has been proven that the fishing sector is a fundamental part of the solution to the problems of marine litter," said Basilio Otero, president of the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds (FNCP).
Otero added that with the FNCP had previously participated in a separate project, VIGIAMAR, working on the geolocation of marine litter. "Now, together with Cepesca, we are taking action to transform it into new components for the industry," he said.
Redes de España forms part of the Pleamar programme of the Fundación Biodiversidad, under Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, and is co-funded by the European Union through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.
