The protection of biodiversity in the protected area of ​​Capo Rizzuto:the initiative

Small-scale fishing is confirmed, according to scientific sources, as the method with the least impact on the marine-coastal environment

CAPO RIZZUTO ISLAND – La enhancement of the marine protected area Capo Rizzuto (Crotone) recorded a new stage of meeting and discussion with the territory and the institutions, in the suggestive terrace of the Aragonese Castle of Le Castella, on the Gulf of Squillace.The initiative, promoted byMarine protected area (MPA) of Capo Rizzuto and from Italian Sea Environment and from Province of Crotone, with the patronage of Municipality of Isola di Capo Rizzuto, was the opportunity to present the guidelines developed by Anton Dohrn zoological station for small-scale fishing within the protected area of ​​Capo Rizzuto, among the largest in Italy and Europe with approximately 40 kilometers of coastline.More generally, the importance of small-scale fishing in the Mediterranean Sea and in marine protected areas was also taken stock.This is a topic that will be much discussed in 2022, on the occasion of the international year of small-scale fishing and aquaculture promoted by the FAO.

The mayor of Isola Capo Rizzuto took part in the meeting Maria Grazia Vittimberga; Sergio Ferrari, president of the Province of Crotone;for the Zoological Station Anton Dohrn the researcher and project manager Claudia Scianna; Alessio Lanatà, vice-president of the Leucotea Consortium; Alessandro Botti, president of Ambiente Mare Italia; Raffaele Gareri, Provincial Councilor Delegate for Tourism and MPA Capo Rizzuto;and representatives of the Coast Guard.He moderated Ivana Puleo, environmental expert and popularizer of Environment Sea Italy.

Practiced with boats smaller than 12 meters and with passive gear - gillnets, pots, longlines - small-scale fishing is confirmed, according to scientific sources, as the method with the least impact on the marine-coastal environment and at the same time a guarantee for the consumer who prefers the purchase of local fish products.According to the three-year national fisheries and aquaculture program 2022-2024 of the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies, small-scale fishing lands almost 23 thousand tons of fish (18% of the national total), for a value of 166.20 million euros ( 26% of the national total).Globally, according to the latest FAO report, small-scale fishing provides livelihoods to almost half a billion people around the world, 95% of whom are in the global South.
“In this context – stated Silvio Greco, director of the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station of Calabria – the processes of drafting management plans on artisanal coastal fishing activities in marine protected areas represent a development perspective for the economy of local communities and for better management of marine resources".

“The protection of the sea and its fragile ecosystem, the relaunch of tourist-seaside activities and small-scale fishing are not – the words of Alessandro Botti, president of Ambiente Mare Italia – antithetical values.The collaboration between our association and the Capo Rizzuto MPA was born precisely with this awareness and from the shared strong desire to relaunch the protected marine area and all the activities connected to them".

Still on the research front, Claudia Scianna also highlighted that "the conservation of marine ecosystems and the management of their resources is based, in the first instance, on the collection of robust data that can support sustainable management choices“.“This data collection – he added – is the result of a conscious and fruitful collaboration between researchers and operators in the fishing sector who have a profound knowledge of our sea of ​​which they represent the main sentinels”.
“Our commitment together with Ami – explained di Raffaele Gareri, delegate of the Marine Protected Area – represents a collaborative activity with which we aim to enhance the most relevant socio-economic aspects.Today we complete a research and study work written by Anton Dohrn on the world of small-scale fishing in marine protected areas.From their data we will understand, more and more, how to improve collaboration with those who economically live in this sea area which represents the central hub of activities".

“Today is a beautiful day, because we present the results of an extraordinary project which saw the involvement of small-scale artisanal fishing, the Anton Dohrn zoological station, and the Ambiente Mare Italia association”.Thus the president of the Province of Crotone, Sergio Ferrari.“The real objective – Ferrari detailed – is to ccreate a management model that is environmentally friendly, train and inform small-scale fishing operators on the importance of environmental protection as a prerequisite for the socio-economic development of this territory“.