Cleaning up abandoned fishing nets in the Mediterranean

Dear difteurs,

In 2026, the DeFi-Med project emerges from the 06! This year, we're reaching a new milestone, thanks to scheduled operations:

- in the Var (83), notably towards the Parc national de Port-Cros (Hyères, Lavandou, Cavalaire)

- in Corsica, within the Parc Naturel Marin du Cap Corse et de l'Agriate.

In the 06, clean-up continues in key areas of the department, including:

- The Théoule-sur-Mer Marine Park

- Cap de Nice & Cap Ferrat (Natura 2000)

- Cap d'Antibes and Ile Saint-Honorat (Natura 2000)

- The area around Nice airport

And even when the water is cold, our clean-up missions don't stop. In January, we intervened in Nice to recover an old lost fishing net, following a report from a local freediving club. A quick, concrete and necessary action.

Because ghost nets don't disappear. Nylon slowly breaks down into micro-debris, enters the food chain and has a lasting impact on marine life. Removing them means taking concrete action, where pollution begins: beneath the surface, far from view.

To find out about all our actions over the past year: click HERE to consult our report 2025 (our apologies: the link in the previous newsletter wasn't working).

Thank you for your support! Thanks to you, we're able to take action on the ground and protect the Mediterranean one action at a time.

The NaturDive team

Dear difteurs,

Thanks to your difts, the projet DeFi-Med was able to develop in 2025! No less than 9.5 hectares of seabed were prospected, in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var Marine Protected Areas! These long prospecting dives enabled us to identify 45 ghost nets.

40 nets were able to be removed, corresponding to a total length of 1.8 Km and a surface area of 3170 m² of sensitive habitats that will be able to regenerate. And since 2020, the project has resulted in the removal of 99 nets!

For more info, the report is available ICI.

A big thank you to you, dear difters, for your support, without which none of this would be possible 🙏

In 2026, the adventure continues with ever greater ambitions, particularly in Corsica's Marine Protected Areas! We'll be back shortly with the program for this new year. 💙

The NaturDive team

A new closed-circuit mission, to land a deep net. This time in Cannes, on a calm sea with no current, but don't be fooled by the sunny sky: at 100 meters, total darkness reigns.
This intervention was carried out following a tip-off from the artisan fisherman, who took part in the recovery of the net on the surface.
Thanks to our partners who make this action possible!

Dear Difteurs,
In early October, we spent 4 days in the Natura 2000 area of Cap Ferrat on a major pollution clean-up mission: the removal of old fishing nets lost in coralligenous areas. Thanks to 18 hours of diving dedicated to prospecting and removal, we were able to extract 17 old nets, representing a cumulative length of almost 1 kilometer. This operation restored around 1,250 m² of sensitive habitat, located at depths of between 20 and 40 meters.

This mission would not have been possible without the invaluable collaboration of the artisan fisherman from Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, who helped us with the surface recovery.
Thank you to everyone who supports us and makes these actions possible!

Dear Difteurs,

Removing a fishing net hanging at a depth of 80 meters is no trivial operation. Last July, off Cap d'Antibes, despite a strong current and intense nautical activity, we carried out this closed-circuit deep-diving operation in complete safety.

This success we also owe to the responsiveness and involvement of the artisanal fisherman concerned, who immediately reported the loss and actively collaborated during the surface recovery.

A fine example of effective cooperation to protect our seabed!

Dear difteur-ses,

A new ghost net was reported by divers... and we were able to react quickly!

Although small in size, this nylon net covered a magnificent area of coralligenous, rich in gorgonians and red coral. Our divers spent time freeing each trapped individual - and the habitat can finally breathe again!

Another step forward for the DéFi-Méd project in June, this time on the surface: our boat, Le Cap Corse, classified as a Bateau d'Intérêt Patrimonial, has benefited from several technical improvements, including the installation of a solar panel. Little by little, we're preparing her for her future missions, which will take her to Corsica and the Var!

Thank you for your support 🙏

The NaturDive team

Dear Difteur-ses,

Between April and May, we removed 11 lost fishing nets! Specifically:

- 4 nets on the Natura 2000 site "Baie et Cap d'Antibes - Îles de Lérins"

- 3 nets in Nice, in the Rauba Capeu area.

- 3 nets in the Parc maritime départemental Estérel-Théoule

- 1 net on the Natura 2000 site "Cap Ferrat"

Whether cotton or nylon, these old fishing nets continue to pose a threat to marine ecosystems. Their removal is therefore essential to preserve biodiversity.

We would like to thank the artisanal fishermen who are accompanying us in this process.

A big THANK YOU for your support!

Dear difteurs,

Despite capricious weather that has complicated our dives over the past few months, we're delighted to announce a major milestone for our DéFi-Méd project! Thanks to your invaluable support, we've reached a decisive milestone, carrying out a first mission in the Var!

We had obtained a great deal of information on the areas to prospect following our meeting with the prud'homie of Saint-Raphaël, so last week we set off for the Var to prospect the waters of Agay.

Finally, three fishing nets abandoned on the coralligenous were removed.

We have already scheduled the next mission in a few weeks' time to continue the prospecting and clean-up.

Dear donors,

Thanks to your difts, the project DeFi-Med has been able to last another year! In 2024, we continued the search for ghost nets, carried out their removal and strengthened our collaboration with artisanal fishermen.

No less than 72 hectares of seabed were prospected, mainly in Protected Marine Areas in the Alpes-Maritimes! These long prospecting dives enabled us to identify 29 ghost nets.

14 nets were able to be removed, corresponding to a surface area of 2840 m² of sensitive habitats that will be able to regenerate, and the depollution of 1.6 Km of plastic material.

Since 2020, the project has resulted in the removal of 60 nets: a total length of 5 Km and a total surface area of 1.5 hectares!

A big thank you to you, dear supporters, for your support, without which none of this would be possible 🙏.

In 2025, the adventure continues with ever greater ambitions, in the Marine Protected Areas of Var, Corsica and Alpes-Maritimes! We'll be back shortly with the program for this new year. 💙

The NaturDive team

Dear difteurs,

Thanks to your difts, we were able to carry out a new prospecting campaign in Marine Protected Areas!

To find old abandoned fishing nets (which continue to pollute), underwater scooter prospecting missions remain our main means of action.

In July and November 2024, our divers prospected new areas of coralligenous to 50m depth, in the Estérel-Théoule departmental maritime park and in the Cap d'Ail fishing cantonment.

For the few fishing gears identified, depending on our assessment, the necessary measures will be taken for their removal and the depollution of the seabed.

Dear difteurs, thanks to your difts, the project is growing!
In addition to the Alpes-Maritimes, ghost net removal will take place in the Var and Corsica, again in collaboration with artisan fishermen.
And for this expansion, we've renovated an old wooden tugboat that was due for the scrap heap! Thousands of hours of work this summer were necessary to make this heritage vessel operational, which will be back in service for the preservation of the marine environment. 
A big thank you to all of you! 

Since the beginning of the year and thanks to the reports of several fishermen and divers, we have been able to remove 6 ghost nets at depths of up to 60 meters, mainly around Cannes. That's 1.3 km less net on sensitive habitats such as coralligenous and posidonia. For some of these nets, we intervened to help artisanal fishermen unhook or find their nets. A great synergy between fishermen and divers, aimed at reducing the impact of our respective activities on the marine environment.
In July, a major phase of prospecting took place in the Cap d'Ail reserve and the Théoule-Sur-Mer Marine Park. Several hours were spent criss-crossing the seabed, identifying around twenty nets that will soon be removed.
All these interventions have helped reduce the impact of fishing nets on marine ecosystems. These actions are crucial for the preservation of marine biodiversity and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the protection of marine ecosystems, in collaboration with local stakeholders.
We would like to thank you for your unconditional support! 

In 2023, your support enabled us to carry out diving surveys over a total surface area of 127 ha! 
50 abandoned nets were identified.
We were able to remove 15 nets as a priority, representing a total length of 1,450 m and a total surface area of 3,700 m²! These are mainly coralligenous reefs that have been cleaned up and will be able to regenerate.
These actions would not have been possible without your support and we thank you.
In 2024, the project continues...

The year 2023 came to a close with the removal of two old nets on Cap d'Antibes. The coralligenous reefs thus freed up will be able to regenerate.
Over 2023, a huge amount of work has been achieved thanks to your donations... follow the project news for an update soon!! 

Capricious weather dragged this fishing net onto the Enfer de Dente in Golfe-Juan, a fragile site renowned for its gorgonian-rich coralligenous zone. Quickly alerted by the fisherman, we intervened to help remove the net and minimize its impact. Several gorgonians were replanted on site, and the small lobsters were returned to the water.
A fine example of fishermen and divers working together to reduce the impact of our respective activities.

In October, we were commissioned by the Département des Alpes-Maritimes to record lost nets in the Natura 2000 area of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, between Monaco and Italy.
Our divers spent long hours diving, covering more than 10 km using underwater scooters!
These surveys are essential to assess and prepare for future dives to remove these nets.

Contacted by a fisherman, we set off to help him retrieve his net hanging on the bottom at the mouth of the Var river. What a surprise when we found ourselves in front of a huge tree planted vertically at a depth of 30m, the net caught in its branches! An unreal dive! The tree must have been swept down there during the storm Alex of 2020, which devastated the Vésubie valley!
We were able to unhook the net, which was then hauled up by the fisherman. 
A fine example of collaboration to reduce the impact of fishing on the marine environment.

The month of July was marked by a major prospection phase in the Estérel-Théoule Marine Park. Long hours spent criss-crossing the seabed in search of abandoned nets. Around twenty small nets were identified, and will be removed shortly.

7 nets have been removed from our bottoms in the Antibes, Cannes and Iles de Lérins Natura 2000 zone! 
A total of 1100 m and 2300 m2 less nets! Cleaned coralligenous reefs that will be able to regenerate themselves!
Thank you for your support 🙏

An intense week for our divers with the removal of 3 fishing nets in the Natura 2000 area Antibes, Cannes and Îles de Lérins:

During the month of May, we tested new tools for locating ghost nets, such as this small underwater robot controlled from the surface (ROV - Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle) and capable of descending to a depth of 100m.
After removing 10 nets last year, let's hope these new tools can help us reach our goal of removing 30 nets this year 💪

The beginning of the year was marked by numerous prospecting dives in the Cannes and Antibes area in search of lost nets. A few old nets were spotted and will be removed shortly.
In March, the first net of the year was removed from the seabed.
In the coming months, removal operations will accelerate... thanks to your support for our actions to preserve our oceans!

Between the search for funding and technical preparations, we're getting ready to attack the search for nets in the coming weeks. An important element of the project, we have invested in a more efficient vessel: the Kraken!