After 18 months of collaboration, innovation and community engagement, the Ghost Nets Hunter Project has successfully concluded, leaving behind valuable knowledge, practical solutions and a strong local network committed to protecting the marine environment.
Implemented by Samandağ Municipality as part of the SeaClear2.0 Associated Regions programme, the project brought together local fishermen, maritime stakeholders, public authorities, researchers, experts and community members to tackle the growing challenge of abandoned fishing gear and marine litter in Samandağ and İskenderun Bay.
By combining underwater technology with local knowledge, scientific monitoring and community participation, Ghost Nets Hunter demonstrated how local action can contribute to addressing wider environmental challenges.
18 Months of Progress: Key Achievements
Throughout the project, the team worked to identify marine litter, test practical solutions, strengthen local cooperation and raise public awareness.
Among the project’s main achievements were:
🔹 Strengthening local cooperation and identifying marine litter challenges: Co-organised with the SeaClear2.0 project partner, ISOTECH Ltd, a participatory decision-making workshop bringing together local stakeholders including fishermen, coastal guards, experts and municipal representatives to identify the main sources and challenges associated with marine litter challenges in Samandağ, and co-develop practical solutions to address them. The workshop also laid the foundation for a local Community of Practice, establishing a network of 15 stakeholders to support continued cooperation and knowledge exchange.
🔹 Mapping underwater ghost nets: Introduced remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology to investigate and document lost fishing gear in 14 underwater locations, including seven ghost cages and seven ghost nets, supported by photographic evidence and GPS coordinates. The ROV took videos and images of the ghost nets, and these were shared with the SeaClear2.0 project and used for training the project’s Artificial Intelligence system for identifying and mapping marine litter.
🔹 Mobilising the local community: Organised two beach clean-ups and marine-litter monitoring activities involving local volunteers and schoolchildren, while collecting comparable data on pollution along the Samandağ coastline.
🔹 Giving abandoned fishing nets a second life: Recovered discarded fishing nets and explored their potential for reuse through an upcycling workshop, demonstrating three practical applications for recovered fishing-net material.
🔹 Developing an innovative litter interception solution: Designed and piloted a plastic litter interceptor prototype using recovered fishing nets. Tested in September 2026, the prototype aims to capture plastic and other solid waste from outflows before it enters the marine environment.
🔹 Planning for long-term impact: Developed a Strategic Roadmap for Ghost Net and Marine Litter Management, bringing together the project’s findings and outlining priorities for future mapping, removal, recycling and public engagement.
🔹 Sharing knowledge and results: Communicated the project’s activities and achievements through workshops, social media, municipal communication channels and a final project conference held in Samandağ on 9 September 2026.
From Recovering Marine Litter to Preventing It
One of the project’s most significant achievements emerged beyond its original objectives.
Building on the experience gained during the fishing-net upcycling activities, the team developed a new plastic litter interceptor prototype. This practical solution represents an important shift in approach, moving beyond the recovery and reuse of marine litter to exploring ways of preventing waste from reaching the sea in the first place.
The development of the prototype also demonstrated the value of experimentation and local innovation. By finding new applications for recovered materials, the project opened up opportunities for further action on marine pollution.
A Lasting Contribution to Samandağ’s Marine Environment
Although the Ghost Nets Hunter Project has officially concluded, its contribution extends beyond the activities carried out over the past 18 months.
Thanks to this project, Samandağ Municipality now has its own underwater ROV, which will continue to be used for ghost-net mapping and can support future underwater monitoring and removal activities. Alongside this equipment, the Municipality has established a local stakeholder network, gained valuable experience in marine-litter monitoring and developed a Strategic Roadmap to guide future environmental initiatives.
Together, these resources provide a foundation for continued cooperation, informed decision-making and practical environmental action in the region, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the reduction of marine litter in the Mediterranean.
Perhaps most importantly, the project has demonstrated what can be achieved when technology, local expertise and community involvement come together around a shared environmental goal.
Looking Ahead
The conclusion of Ghost Nets Hunter marks the completion of an important chapter, but the knowledge, partnerships and solutions developed throughout the project can continue to support efforts to protect the Samandağ coastline.
A sincere thank you to the fishermen, volunteers, researchers, experts, public institutions, project partners and community members who contributed their time, knowledge and commitment to making this initiative possible.
Ghost Nets Hunter has shown that meaningful environmental progress begins with cooperation, grows through practical action and creates opportunities for lasting change.
The project may have come to an end, but its contribution to cleaner seas and a healthier marine environment will continue to make a difference.