Events and News

The new web site of the ISPRA networks for monitoring the physical state of the sea is online

From today the new web site of the National Mareographic Network (RMN) and the National Ondametric Network (RON) is online, accessible at the web address:www.mareografico.it

The web site allows to query the databases of tide gauge stations and weather-wave buoys in real time with the possibility of consulting and extracting the observed data of tide levels, wave motion and the main marine weather parameters in the installation locations of the stations measuring machines.

Event to present the results of a project on marine litter collection operations by fishermen

Last Saturday 20 May 2023, the event to present the results of the project «Collection interventions by fishermen of waste from the sea on the surface and on the seabed including the removal of lost fishing tool from the sea" funded under the EMFF 2014-2020 - Project Measure 4.63 "Implementation of participatory-type local development strategies" - under which ISPRA of Palermo provided support scientific for the removal of lost fishing tool.

ISPRA and ARPA Sardegna: joint inspection to verify the state of health of the replanting of Posidonia in Porto Torres

On May 18, the technicians of ISPRA and ARPA Sardegna were together in the Gulf of Asinara to monitor the manually transplanted Posidonia oceanica meadow. The transplant started in October 2022 and ended in March 2023, involving a final surface area of ​​11,500 m2 (7,000 m2 net). It is an environmental compensation work prescribed for the expansion works of the Civic Port of Porto Torres, by the VIA Decree n. 35 of 06/02/2018.

GET ON BOARD WITH THE RESEARCHERS - The Citizen Science campaign to monitor cetaceans, turtles and marine litter of the European Life Project CONCEPTU MARIS is started

The Life Conceptu Maris (CONservation of CEtaceans and Pelagic sea TUrtles in Med: Managing Actions for their Recovery In Sustainability) project is preparing to start the citizen science phase: citizens, professionals and students will be invited to board the ferries to contribute monitoring alongside ISPRA researchers. The recruitment starts from ISPRA colleagues operating on other activities who will want to experience how monitoring data of megafauna and sea turtles from ferries are collected.

National Sea Day

ISPRA is participating today, at the Castelporziano Estate, in the National Day of the Sea, promoted by the Ministry for Civil Protection and Marine Policies, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella and the Minister Nello Musumeci.
ISPRA exhibits two exhibitions, one dedicated to the adventures of sea turtle Carrie, created as part of the INDICIT Project, which narrates the dangers Carrie encounters due to abandoned nets, plastics and microplastics. The second exhibition "20.000 nets under the sea" is realized as part of the Mo.Ri.Net Project, whose objective is the conservation of marine habitats in two pilot areas of Sardinia through actions that include the removal of marine litter and fishing gear fishing lost, actively involving fishermen and raising awareness of the problem with dissemination and dissemination activities. From the point of view of the Circular Economy, the polyethylene waste collected, if suitable, is sent to the recycling and valorisation process.
Both exhibitions, together with the exhibition stand, were visited by President Mattarella and Minister Musumeci.

ISPRA president Stefano Laporta and the DG Maria Siclari have participated at the event.

Photo gallery

The natural monument La Frasca: the evolution of the environment from the Pleistocene to today

As part of the side events organized for the European Researchers' Night 2023 which this year will take place on 29 September, ISPRA, on Saturday 13 May, will organize the following excursion: "The natural monument La Frasca: the evolution of the environment from the Pleistocene to today".

Monk Seal: sighting close the coast of Capri

On Sunday 7 May, some boaters sighted and videotaped a monk seal about 2.3 miles off the west coast of the island of Capri.
Thanks to the report from the researchers of the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in Naples, ISPRA staff immediately contacted the spotters to validate the information and enter the data collected as part of the national monitoring program on this species.

Development of tools derived from Copernicus products for monitoring bathing water and shellfish farming and interaction with stakeholders

Natural resources in marine-coastal areas are often exploited to support human activities. To optimize the use of resources and manage them in a sustainable manner, careful monitoring of the parameters of the marine environment is necessary. This FPCUP action has as its object the development of integrated monitoring products to support bathing and shellfish farming activities which can be negatively influenced by anthropic factors, such as spills into the sea with bacterial contamination of the environment (e.g. discharges from treatment plants urban waste water, collection of run-off water on agricultural or pasture land) and consequent risks for human health and the environment.

Ships of May

The spring programming of events included in Italian Port Days and coordinated by the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea in collaboration with Assoporti-Association of Italian ports kicked off on 11 April. In addition to the visits to the ports offered to citizens, May 4 will be the day dedicated to the "Ships of May" event organized by the Port System Authority of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea and which offers local schools the opportunity to visit the boats for the protection of the marine-coastal environment moored at the Medicean port as well as informative meetings that will be held in the spaces of the Old Fortress.

Documentary Gofree Project

The project, started on April 2021,  aimed to introduce and incentivize the fishing of bathyal shrimp, also called hunchbacks introducing innovative measures both in the fishing process, in order to favor fishing also at bathymetry not yet exploited.

Earth Day 2023 - One People One Planet

On the occasion of the 53rd World Earth Day, #OnePeopleOnePlanet returns, a multimedia marathon, now in its fourth edition, to celebrate Earth Day in Italy. The event includes 16 hours of live television broadcast on  Rai Play from the Nuvola di Fuksas in Rome.

ISPRA researcher will participate to the multimedia marathon to present the projects MORINET, STRONG SEA LIFE and PNRR MER dedicated to the protection of the sea and in particular to the recovery of ghost nets.

At the final day of One People One Planet  ISPRA President Stefano Laporta and the DG Maria Siclari will participate

Earth Day 2023 - Village for the Earth

April 22 is the World Earth Day. Earth Day Italia celebrates the day with an event that takes place over five days, from 21 to 25 April, dedicated to the environment punctuated by a program full of shows and cultural and sporting events, meetings and a village for the little ones with educational workshops.

Professional fishing on Elba and in the Tuscan Archipelago: History, current events and prospects

From 14 April to 12 May on the Island of Elba the event "Fishing with taste: fishing and fishermen in the lands of the Etruscans" will be held. A cycle of events is planned in collaboration with the Fondazione Isola d'Elba ETS, the body created in 2015 to enhance the identity of the Elba community and support sustainable development

Gofree project "Introduction of the striped humpback shrimp (Plesionika edwardsii, Brandt, 1851) fishing in Sardegna"

The Gofree Project "Introduction of the striped humpback shrimp (Plesionika edwardsii) fishing in Sardegna" started in April 2021, its primary objective was to create pots lined with prototypes of biodegradable and compostable materials to be used for fishing for striped hunchback, a deep-water crayfish.

ISPRA and SNPA at the Rome Science Festival

The 18th edition of the Rome Science Festival will be held from 18 to 23 April 2023 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica "Ennio Morricone".

IMMAGINARI is the theme of this edition dedicated to the imagination, one of the most powerful tools that allows us to conceive works of art, new technologies and allows us to find solutions to everyday problems.

ISPRA is scientific partner of the event and this year organizes the SNPA conference entitled "Communicate the environment" within the event: a morning of discussion (Wednesday 19 April 9.30-14) with some protagonists of the world information and environmental divulgation to analyze how we are reporting the environment through the media and how we will be called to do in the future.

Together with this appointment, ISPRA promotes a series of initiatives during the week of the Festival.

Crossing the trail of cetaceans

The sessions of the 34th conference of the ECS, the European Cetacean Society, begin on Monday 17 April in Galicia. The event, which will continue until 20 April, will attract many researchers specialized in marine mammals from all over Europe.

For the occasion, thanks to the collaboration between the LIFE CONCEPTU MARIS and IMPEL EU MTT (Europe Marine Transborder Transect) projects, a networking workshop will be held on monitoring cetaceans via ferries, one of the cornerstones of CONCEPTU MARIS activities. The workshop, entitled "Crossing the trail of cetaceans", will explore in detail all the phases of information collection, from the protocols on board the ferries to the cutting-edge technologies used, up to the most effective analytical approaches to organize all the information collected.

Course on the mending of P.oceanica meadows damaged by anchors

As part of the SEAFOREST LIFE project "Posidonia meadows as carbon sinks of the Mediterranean", approved and funded under the LIFE Programme, 'Climate Actions 2017' sub-programme, priority sector with themes in climate change mitigation is organized by ISPRA in collaboration with the University of Sassari, a training course concerning the collection of beached seeds and/or shoots and/or cuttings and mending demonstration activities dedicated to operators of parks and protected areas.

National Sea Day

April 11 is National Sea Day, established by Legislative Decree 229/2017. This year the main facade of Palazzo Chigi in Piazza Colonna in Rome will be illuminated in blue from 20.00 to 24.00.

ISPRA has various activities for the protection of the sea: bathing waters, coastal erosion, sustainable aquaculture, impacts and environmental management of ports and coastal marine sediments, oceanic posidonia, weather forecasts of the Hydro-Meteo-Mare System and Mareographic Network National and the Venice Lagoon.

In the occasion of the National Sea Day ISPRA has published the press release on the Plane wreck on the seabed off Sciacca 

Presented today the Rome Science Festival 2023

From 18 to 23 April 2023, the Rome Science Festival returns to the "Ennio Morricone" Auditorium Parco della Musica with its 18th edition.
Over 100 meetings, over 100 educational activities, over 10 weekend activities for families, 4 exhibits, 16 scientific and cultural partners.
IMMAGINARI is the theme of this edition dedicated to the imagination, one of the most powerful tools that allows us to conceive works of art, new technologies and allows us to find solutions to everyday problems

Documentary "The Roots of the Sea". Innovation and good practices to protect the marine ecosystem

Today in Livorno was held the video "The Roots of the Sea" on the design and construction of eco-sustainable reforestation plants of Posidonia oceanica meadows was held today at the Livorno Aquarium. The conference was an opportunity to meet and discuss marine environmental issues and some topics on the agenda such as drought, water emergencies and desalination

Presentation of the PNRR MER Project on the GEO television show

In the March 28 episode of Geo, the Director General of ISPRA, Maria Siclari, presented the PNRR MER (Marine Ecosystem Restoration) Project, the largest project on the sea within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which sees ISPRA as the implementing body and the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security as administration holder of the loan of 400 million Euros for 2022-2026. The MER includes interventions for the restoration and protection of the seabed and marine habitats, the strengthening of the national system for the observation of marine and coastal ecosystems and the mapping of coastal and marine habitats, the acquisition of a new oceanographic naval unit, equipped with highly technological equipment capable of probing the seabed up to 4000 m and very high resolution acoustic instrumentation.

Watch the episode (interview at the minute 0.25.00)

46th meeting of the scientific groups of the London Convention and Protocol on the prevention of marine pollution by dumping of wastes and other matters from ships and aircraft

From 13 to 17 March 2023 in Casablanca, hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Morocco, delegates from 24 countries and 2 NGOs met for the 46th meeting of the "Scientific Groups" of the London Convention, 1972 and the 1996 Protocol on the prevention of marine pollution by dumping of wastes and other matters. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations, taking part at the meetings with the Secretariat of the Office for London Convention/Protocol & Ocean Affairs , is the body in charge of the application of these international treaties in countries which, like Italy, have incorporated the rules into their own regulations .

Gofree project

On February 22nd and 23rd at the Porto Conte Ricerche headquarters in Alghero and at the Port Museum in Porto Torres the researchers involved in the project Gofree "Introduction of the striped humpback shrimp (Plesionika edwardsii) fishing in Sardinia" they met the fishermen of the Alghero, Porto Torres and Castelsardo fleets. The project aims aims to introduce and incentivize the fishing of bathyal shrimp, also called hunchbacks  in the Sardinian seas, introducing innovative measures both in the fishing process, in order to favor fishing also at bathymetry not yet exploited

Discover and protecting the sea for a true blue economy

The Italian seas occupy a fundamental place in the conservation and protection of biodiversity, energy production and fish resources consumed in our country.
ISPRA performs the role of technical-scientific coordination of the national system for monitoring and assessing the state of health of marine ecosystems envisaged by the Framework Directive on Marine Strategy 2008/56/EC, with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security as the Authority Qualified.
The monitoring carried out in the last 10 years (ISPRA-ARPA, EPR, University) has highlighted important knowledge gaps and the need to intervene to reverse the degradation of marine ecosystems with large-scale restoration actions.
The PNRR MER - Marine Ecosystem Restoration project sees ISPRA as the implementing entity and MASE as the administration of the 400 million euro loan for 2022-2026. The MER envisages interventions for the restoration and protection of the seabed and marine habitats, the strengthening of the national system of observation of marine and coastal ecosystems with the acquisition of a new major oceanographic naval unit as well as the mapping of coastal and marine habitats of interest conservation in Italian wate

Program

Photo gallery

Mo.Ri.net project - final event

The Mo.Ri.net project (Monitoring, census, removal and recycling of ghost nets: fishermen as key players in the safeguard of the sea) lasting 18 months and with a partnership of five entities, it was financed by the EMFF 2014/2020 following the Call of the Sardegna region for the implementation of Measure 1.40 art. 40, par.1, lett. a) of Reg. (EU) no. 508/2014 Call 2018.

MoRinet's objective is the conservation of marine habitats in two pilot areas of Sardegna  through actions involving the removal of marine litter and lost fishing gear, actively involving fishermen. From the point of view of the Circular Economy, the polyethylene waste collected, if suitable, is sent to the recycling and valorisation process.
The final event is dedicated to illustrating the results of the project and to an exchange of experience with other projects dealing with similar issues in order to compare best practices and trace new development perspectives in relation to the marine litter problem

Program

Press release (ita)

A buoy in the framework of the IwaveNET Project has been activated off Marina di Ragusa

In the Interreg Italia Malta  i-WaveNET project framework, ISPRA moored a wave directional buoy at a depth of 50 metres offshore of Marina di Ragusa. The buoy measures wave height and direction, every 30 minutes, thanks to wave motion sensor based on a stabilised platform, accelerometers, and magnetic compass.

Presentation of the third edition of Earth Technology Expo

The third edition of ETE will be held from 15 to 18 November 2023, on 21 February in Rome at the Civil Protection there will be the official presentation of the new edition. The participation of the ISPRA president, Stefano Laporta, is expected.

Marine Geology in Italy

On 14 and 15 February, at the headquarters of the Cnr and the Department of Earth Sciences of the Sapienza University of Rome, the 5th Conference of Italian Marine Geologists takes place.
The biennial event represents an opportunity for the entire community of marine geologists to meet and discuss their research activities.

Let's recover the nets lost at sea!!

The Strong Sea project and its staff thank the fishermen for their contribution in reporting missing fishing gear.
We are happy to meet them on 11 February in Castelsardo to show, with the videos made during the identification and removal of the fishing gear they reported, how important their contribution has been to the protection of the marine environment.

Campaign citizen science of Conceptu Maris

It is officially started the citizen science campaign of the Progetto Conceptu Maris, important activity that will allow people who love nature to give a relevant contribution to the protection of marine turtles and cetaceans. 
In order to know what are the necessary requisites to board the ferries together with Conceptu Maris biologists and participate in animal monitoring, visit the dedicated page on the project website and discover the 16 routes available throughout the Mediterranean basin. Your participation will be valuable for you and the environment