PROMoting Elasmobranchs conservation THrough by-catch reduction, Ecotourism and alternative sUStainable fisheries

ongoing

LIFE-PROMETHEUS aims at improving the conservation of elasmobranchs by reducing their bycatch, promoting alternative sustainable fisheries and ecotourism activities. This will be achieved by carrying out pilot and demonstrative actions in twelve Mediterranean areas which represent biodiversity hotspots or essential fish habitats for some phases of the species’ life history (i.e., spawning, foraging, etc.), spanning across the whole basin, from the Balearic Islands to the Gulf of Lion, from the Ligurian Sea to the northern Sardinia, the Egadi Islands and the Sicily Strait, the northern and the southern Adriatic Sea, three areas in Greece, and Cyprus waters. Specifically, the objectives of PROMETHEUS are 1. assessing the impacts of cutting-edge deterring technology (both electric and magnetic deterrents) to reduce the bycatch of threatened elasmobranch species; 2. promoting alternative sustainable fisheries in specific areas/periods critical for the selected elasmobranch species, supporting the shift to the Invasive Alien Species (IAS) fishery; 3. promoting sustainable ecotourism in areas of elasmobranchs' aggregations; 4. quantifying the economic and practical advantage of using bycatch mitigation measures and alternative practices by fishers; 5. involving fishers in species conservation, supporting the sustainable and efficient use of marine resources; 6. providing guidance for financial incentives for fishers who decide to implement conservation-aimed mitigation measures; 7. evaluating a replicable approach of the project's results in other areas of the Mediterranean and EU; 8. increasing public awareness involving both the public and coastal users about the importance of sustainable seafood choices (through the adoption of a shark-free ecolabel by supply-chain and restaurateurs, but also through the consumption of IAS); 9. lobbying local, regional, national, and European authorities to support fishing practices pledging sustainable use of marine resources.