Fishing and the environment, at Asinara the participatory project of the University of Sassari

Involving fishermen in the participatory management of the protected marine area of ​​Asinara and the treasure of biodiversity it preserves, mapping the activities of the sector and making them protagonists of environmental protection: this is the goal of the University of Sassari with the project financed by the Po-Feamp Italy 2014-2020, the European fund for maritime affairs and fisheries.

The research focuses on the analysis of experiences of co-management and participatory monitoring and of characterization and monitoring of eco-systemic services and on the training of fishermen and other stakeholders.

Established in 2002, 108 km wide, continuation of the terrestrial National Park, small-scale artisanal fishing is mainly practiced in the protected marine area. There are 48 fishing boats at work, mostly small in size.

In the territory of Porto Torres, Stintino and Castelsardo, the boats are 155 instead. In Porto Torres and Stinitno 70% of the vessels use fixed longlines, 14% use divergent bottom trawls and 16% use purse seine. In Castelsardo 74% use fixed longlines and 26% use purse seines.

Starting from the data, Uniss and local institutions intend to launch virtuous and participatory models of sustainable fishing and conservation of fish resources.

The tools used are training, communication, dissemination, environmental awareness with the involvement of managers of the marine area, fishermen, researchers, professional operators and citizens. For Donatella Carboni, who coordinates the project, “participation does not stop at information on processes already started and decisions already made, but aims to build a collective and conscious consensus through which everyone contributes to defining the terms of a problem in the analysis of a risk situation and in the planning of the interventions on the territory on which the Amp insists “.