The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, alongside the Government of the Region of Murcia and the fishing sector, have successfully collaborated to remove a large lost fishing net from the waters near La Manga del Mar Menor. This initiative began on the fourth of September, when technicians from Tragsatec, who assist the Ministry in marine biodiversity monitoring, discovered the net while searching for guitarfish as part of the Guitar Hero project at the University of Murcia.

The net was located approximately six metres deep, within a Posidonia oceanica meadow, causing damage as it was moved by the currents. Notably, the net was positioned within two protected areas of the Red Natura two thousand series: the Special Protection Zone for Birds ES000508 Marine Space of Tabarca-Cabo de Palos and the Site of Community Importance ES6200029 Submerged Coastal Strip of the Region of Murcia.

As a result, a collaborative action plan was devised which included divers and personnel aboard a vessel to facilitate the lifting of the net. On the twelfth of September, divers manually extracted the portion of the net integrated into the Posidonia habitat while personnel from the boat lifted the free section.

This successful operation involved staff from the Ministry as well as various regional departments, including Environment, Universities, Research, Mar Menor, and Water, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, along with the Fishermen’s Guild of Cartagena. After the net’s removal, officials confirmed that there was no damage to protected marine species.