AQUA-LIT: working with the aquaculture sector to prevent marine litter entering the sea

Completely in line with the new EU Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy to drastically reduce plastic in the sea, AQUA-LIT will develop a toolbox for the aquaculture sector in which innovative ideas and working methods are provided to tackle the problem of litter at sea. And that via (1) prevention and reduction, (2) monitoring and quantification of the problem, and (3) removal and recycling. The project is being rolled out for aquaculture activities in both the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea and is kicked off recently in Budapest.
 
For two years the AQUA-LIT project receives European funding within the programs supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (EASME) and the maritime fisheries and aquaculture fund (EMFF). The AQUA-LIT consortium consists of seven partners:

• Geonardo – Hungary (coordinator)
• Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ) - Belgium
• Regional Fund for Science and Technology of the Azores (FRCT) - Portugal
• EurOcean, the European Centre for Information on Marine Science and Technology - Portugal
• Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) - Spain
• Nausicaá - France
• s.Pro sustainable projects - Germany

In order to increase awareness about marine waste with an aquaculture origin and to make accessibility of possible measures easier to identify, a platform and a mobile app are created for all stakeholders in the aquaculture sector and policy. In the meantime a flyer, website and animation have already been developed for the project. Follow the further progress of AQUA-LIT via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Contact for VLIZ: Lisa Devriese (lisa.devriese@vliz.be | +32-(0)59-34 14 21)