Summary

LIFE European Sharks will engage European citizens and marine stakeholders in a joint effort to safeguard Mediterranean sharks and rays, the most endangered group of marine species in Europe, threatened by unsustainable levels of accidental captures, pollution and habitat destruction. The long-term goal is to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of Mediterranean elasmobranchs, encouraging co-responsibility and promoting behavior change as a key factor in reversing their decline across the basin. As sharks and rays are often highly migratory and cross many national borders during their lifetimes, LIFE EU Sharks activities will touch Italy, France, Croatia, Spain and Slovenia, effectively involving the entire Central and Western Mediterranean in the conservation of these species. Here, it will strengthen the implementation of Union regulations and improve management, with an unprecedented capacity building that will reduce the mortality of protected species and increase the quality of data collection. It will co-design and experiment with professional fishermen's voluntary solutions to curb bycatch mortality, monitoring their socio-economic impact; inspire anglers to increase the survival of sharks and rays with catch&release and safer handling practices; divers will restore nursery areas and EU Sharks DiveSpots, reducing the risks of entanglement in marine litter and lost fishing gear. Outreach will increase public understanding of the essential role of these charismatic species in the health of Mediterranean ecosystems, shifting the perception of sharks from "dangerous" to "endangered". Chefs and food bloggers will encourage the consumption of local and more sustainable seafood products. A white paper will include the project's co-created, evidence-based and locally-tested solutions and key policy recommendations. It will be shared across the Mediterranean Sea to assist authorities, policymakers and communities in implementing shark conservation measures.

LIFE EU Sharks promotes the conservation of protected species and encourages responsible and sustainable interactions with sharks and rays by:

● Training fisheries officers and fishers to reduce mortality of protected species, promoting compliance with EU regulations and improving the quality of data collection.

● Testing with fishers voluntary actions to reduce shark and ray bycatch mortality, with an assessment of the socio-economic impact of these solutions.

● Promoting shark and ray catch&release among recreational fishers, and better handling techniques to increase post-release survival.

● Reducing the risk of entanglement in lost fishing gear with the cooperation of divers.

● Tapping into the knowledge of sea users to map important areas for breeding, feeding and migration of shark and rays, and stimulate authorities, policy makers and communities implement conservation measures.

● Increasing public understanding of the essential role that sharks and rays play in the Mediterranean ecosystem, changing the public image from ‘dangerous’ to ‘endangered’, and encouraging the consumption of local and more sustainable seafood.

Project Partners

1.SEUCILISTE U SPLITVU (CROATIA)
2.OFFICE FRANCAIS DE LA BIODIVERSITE (FRANCE)
3.COSTA EDUTAINMENT S.P.A (ITALY)
4.CENTRO DI COMPETENZA DISTRETTUALE SOCIETA CONSORTILE A RL (ITALY)
5.SOCIETA COOPERATIVA AGRICOLO FORESTALE - D.R.E.AM. ITALIA (ITALY)
6.COMANDO GENERALE DEL CORPO DELLE CAPITANERIE DI PORTO - GUARDIA COSTIERA (ITALY)
7.MEDSHARKS (ITALY)
8.SHORELINE SC (ITALY)
9.UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE (ITALY)

Project Lifetime
1 October 2023 to 30 September 2027

SZN Role
Coordinator

Principal Investigator for SZN
Antonio Terlizzi - Research Director “Head of the Integrative Marine Ecology Department”

Budget total
2.597 014.12 Euro

Contribution to SZN
846. 281.19 Euro

Dedicated website
www.europeansharks.eu