This week FARNET (European Fisheries Areas Network) has visited us to make an article about our project “Tramuntana Dolphins” in the framework of projects funded by FLAGs Costa Brava, under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

FARNET is the community of people who implement the Community-Led Local Development (CLLD). This network joins the Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), management authorities, citizens and experts from all EU to work together in the sustainable development of fishing and coastal areas.

CLLD is an expression used by the European Commission in order to describe an approach that changes traditional policies of top-down development to implement CLLD, where locals take charge and design an integrated development strategy.

Specifically, the importance of the work with fishermen in this project has been highlighted, who collaborates in the conservation of cetacean population in the Cape Creus area since 2017. Currently, there are 15 trawlers collaborate continuously with the project and have reported more than 60 cetacean sightings.

In addition, fishermen have participated in courses about species identification and governance workshops to implement good practises, as well as a pilot test to recollect plastic from different depths, where more than 16 kg of plastics had been removed.