An Italian fisherman has fished the Maremma coastline for nearly 40 years, but his livelihood and the marine habitats near Tuscany faced threats from illegal trawling. This destructive fishing method damages the seafloor and depletes marine life. To combat this, he founded the non-profit Casa dei Pesci (“House of Fish”), sinking marble statues to obstruct trawling nets.
These statues, donated by the same quarry used by Michelangelo, were sculpted by Italian and international artists and placed near Talamone, creating an underwater art museum. This initiative effectively stopped trawlers, whose nets would get caught and potentially sink.
The return of Posidonia, a crucial underwater plant, marks the success of this project. Posidonia meadows serve as nurseries for marine life and absorb significant amounts of CO2. Since the installation of the 39 sculptures, marine life, including lobsters, turtles, sea bream, and mullet, has returned.
With 12 more sculptures planned, he aims to expand the project along the coast. Conservationists globally are adopting similar underwater art projects to protect and restore marine ecosystems.
Learn more at https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/12/italian-fisherman-uses-underwater-sculptures-to-stop-trawling/