Marine litter clean-up events
In spring 2020, the Sunce Split association launched a series of marine litter clean-up events in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy. The aim is to remove marine litter from the seabed and coast, while at the same time, raise public awareness of the impact of marine litter on the Adriatic.
The clean-up will be carried out in seven counties along the Croatian coastline: Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Lika-Senj, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia, and Dubrovnik-Neretva. Underwater marine litter will be removed by divers, then collected by fishermen with trawl nets. Volunteers and Sunce Split staff will also take part, monitoring litter collected to track its source and advising on appropriate waste management.
Locations will be selected in cooperation with relevant stakeholders, such as public institutions that manage Marine Protected Areas, local authorities, citizens associations, diving clubs and fishing communities. The results of each event will be made public to raise public awareness of marine litter pollution. In addition, based on the experience and results, a proposal will be drafted for a national protocol setting guidelines for all future ocean clean-up initiatives in Croatia.
