Inside: a close encounter with Black Sea fishing

Ghost fishing is one of the major threats to the seas and oceans on a global scale. Our sea is no exception. Data from the Institute of Oceanology at Istanbul University show that thousands of such nets with a total area of over 100 sq.km fall into the Black Sea every year. According to them, the real volume and consequences for the ecosystems in the Black Sea need to be better understood. That is why it is time to do something about it.

"The Most Valuable Catch" is our joint initiative with the Black Sea Sunrise Fishing Association. Our common goal: to limit the damage caused by old fishing nets drifting undisturbed across the Black Sea.

How are we going to do it?

This fishing season (from 31.10 to 15.04.2021), when the ships will go deep into the sea, they will purposefully collect and bring old nets ashore. At the end of this period, we will announce our concrete results and next steps.

The results so far

In the period from 31.10.2020 to 15.04.2021, 25 ships from the association managed to collect and bring ashore a total of over 7 tons of nets, plastics and all kinds of other things that are harmful to our sea.

The collected amount of lost nets has a total length of over 50 km - enough to cover the distance from Cape Emine to the port of Varna.

In addition, we have gathered invaluable information on the scope of the Black Sea pollution problem and the locations of seabed litter. This information can be used to inform further actions to build on what has been achieved so far.

Long-term commitment

For us, "The Most Valuable Catch" is not a one-time campaign, but the beginning of a long-term commitment.

Because we believe it is our duty to work to actually reduce the harmful impacts and improve the Black Sea ecosystems.

For this very reason, a percentage of the sales of all Chernomorski Ulov products will go towards financing the project.

Moreover, we have taken on the surprisingly complex task of finding how and where to recycle the collected fishing nets made of polyamide and nylon.

Some of the nets collected in the first wave of the project have already found a new life as useful objects, thanks to the partnership with "Precious Plastic".

We are now looking for ways to recycle larger quantities. And any help in this direction will be extremely useful. If you have an idea where we can recycle them and give them a second life, contact us.

You can learn more about what has been achieved in the project by following us on social networks (Facebook and Instagram) or subscribing to our newsletter.

If you have an idea and want to support the project in another way, contact us. Because the protection of our sea depends on us working together!