Author name: webmaremma@gmail.com

The Interreg V-A Italy-Malta project “SEA MARVEL – Save, Enhance, Admire Marine Versatile Life”, which began in November 2020, has now come to an end after three years of intense work. The project, financed by the Interreg programme, a community initiative supported by the European Regional Development Fund for cooperation between the regions of the […]

The final event of the Interreg Italy-Malta project took place at the Benedictine Monastery of Catania

Friday 20 October, starting from 09.00, at the Benedictine Monastery of Catania,
the presentation of the results of the Interreg Italy-Malta project

During summer 2023, the focus of SEA MARVEL – Interreg project Italy-Malta coordinated by Professor Iuri Pieri of the University of Catania’s Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment – was on awareness and education to good practices to protect the environment and the sea. In fact, from June to September, sailors and bathers of the

Last week, from 4 to 6 October, a small delegation of the SEA MARVEL research team from DI3A of the University of Catania participated in the conference “IEEE-Metrology for the Sea 2023” held at the University of Malta, Valletta Campus. Each year, MetroSea gathers several international experts working in the field of research and development of tools and

News The company Grimaldi Lines has once again proved its commitment towards the conservation of marine ecosystems through a long-standing collaboration with the ISPRA FLT Network and the SEA MARVEL project, together with the University of Catania among the network partners. In July, during the sea trip aimed at studying of marine life and human

Three-year project on raising awareness of the marine environment and biodiversity is concluded.

Between the end of September and the beginning of October, three meetings with the city’s “Seafarers” were held in the Port of Catania area. The series of seminars was organized by the Marecamp association together with the University of Catania, as part of WP5 of the SEA MARVEL project. The first meeting was held on

At the end of three interesting and engaging days for the students of the IC De Roberto of Catania in the Maltese archipelago, on 29 September 2023 the Maltese SEA MARVEL team led by Professor Adriana Vella, PhD, organized a special event for the winners of the challenge maltese SEA MARVEL. Prof. Vella, as project

On Tuesday morning a turtle that was rescued by Prof. Adriana Vella, conservation biologist, during an ongoing Sea Marvel research project has been released after rehabilitation by Nature Trust.

News With the ongoing efforts in supporting the conservation of the marine environment, SEA MARVEL has found a precious ally in Virtu Ferries, one of the leading ferry companies operating in the Strait of Sicily.  The dissemination activities planned by SEA MARVEL have reached a wide audience thanks to the involvement of passengers travelling onboard

On July 14, 2023, the presentation and pre-race briefing of the prestigious 63rd Siracusa-Malta International Sailing Regatta were held in the picturesque setting of the Naval League headquarters in Syiracuse. The long-awaited event attracted sailing enthusiasts and sea lovers from all over the Mediterranean, with the beginning of the competition officially scheduled for July 15,

News On July 31, 2023, a workshop was conducted at the D’amico Palace in Milazzo, dedicated to local fishers, including those associated with the “Cooperativa Pescatori Marina di Patti” and actively working in the area in front of the Capo Milazzo MPA. This meeting provided an opportunity to present them with the current results of

  On July 27, 2023, a workshop with fishers, members of Co.Ge.P.A. of Catania and operating in the Gulf of Catania, was held at the OPEN hall in the city center of Catania, offering them the opportunity to gain an overview of the current project results, with a particular focus on the action of the

In the framework of the project SEA MARVEL, the Work Package 4 “Raising Awareness” aims at offering to the citizens living in the neighbouring areas of the Natura 2000 sites (in Sicily: MPA Cyclopean Isles, MPA Pelagie Islands, MPA Capo Milazzo and ONR Oasi Del Simeto; in Malta: Ghar Lapsi and Filfla Area and the area

News The SEA MARVEL project has brought with great success the theme of environmental protection and marine monitoring on board the ships of Siremar, the ferry operator belonging to the Caronte & Tourist group. This initiative, aimed at raising environmental awareness and dissemination, actively involved both the crew and the passengers who travelled during the

The University of Catania is now promoting a free training initiative next autumn, aimed at young people aged between 16 and 28 who wish to acquire skills in the field of environmental education, the protection of sites of high environmental value and the promotion of the territory. This opportunity is provided in the framework of

From 18 to 22 June 2023, on the island of Lampedusa, the University of Catania carried out a series of activities related to the Sea Marvel project, actively involving fishers and other local sea stakeholders. In particular, a workshop was organized at the MPA “Pelagie Islands”, offering fishers the opportunity to gain an overview of the current

THE PROCLAMATION TODAY, JUNE 8, ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD OCEANS DAY

WINNING CLASSES IDENTIFIED FOR TWO OF THREE CHALLENGES PLANNED IN SEA MARVEL

The last challenge is planned in Sicily at the beginning of the next school year.
For winning classes prize travel to Malta and Sicily and joining conservation researchers studying cetaceans in Sicily

Today, the 8 of June is World Oceans Day, an internationally celebrated thematic day which was originally proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit and was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008. The Italia-Malta Interreg SEA MARVEL project team of Malta led by Prof. Adriana Vella celebrates this event through a dedicated fieldtrip to one of Malta’s marine Natura 2000 site and through the announcement of the winners of its school challenge issued earlier in the year.

Photo Captions: Fig 1: SEA MARVEL team member, Dr Clare Marie Mifsud delivering a presentation prior to discussion with students on impacts of plastics. Fig 2: Dr Clare Marie Mifsud presenting the SEA MARVEL exhibition to students that helps them visualise the incredible diversity of life and what is at stack if no effective action is taken

On 1st June, we celebrate the World Reef Day, established for the first time in 2018 by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) with the aim of raising awareness on the fundamental role coral reefs play in our planet and their current state of health.
Coral reefs are present only in 1% of the seabed on our planet, while at the same time they host 25% of the global marine biodiversity. Such biodiversity is made of corals, sessile colonial organisms belonging to the animal kingdom…

During the past few months, the Italian research team of the Sea Marvel project has traveled among Acitrezza, Milazzo, Catania and Lampedusa to meet and interview some of the stakeholders of the investigated sites. Stakeholders are all those groups that influence and/or are influenced by an organization’s activities, products or services, and related performance outcomes.

The theme set this year for the international day for biodiversity is “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity”. This is a theme that perfectly fits the target of the SEA MARVEL project to Save, Enhance, Admire Marine Versatile Life in the central Mediterranean Sea where so many anthropogenic activities have and continue to impoverish and degrade marine life and environment respectively.

Last week, the Italian and Maltese research groups participating in the Sea Marvel project gathered in O Grove, Spain, at the 34th Annual Conference of the European Cetaceans Society.
The University of Malta partner was represented by Prof Adriana Vella and Dr Joseph Vella, while the University of Catania lead partner was represented by Dr Clara Monaco, Dr Alessandra Raffa, Dr Carla Tumino and Dr Enrico Giarrusso.

On 10 March, a meeting was held among the fishermen operating in the Marine Protected Area around Capo Milazzo.
The aim was to launch a training involving the communities of small-scale artisanal fishing operating in Milazzo, Riposto, Portorosa, to raise awareness on the issues related to marine biodiversity and the protection of vulnerable marine species.

On 6 March, a meeting took place with the participation of seven fishermen operating in the waters of the “Cyclopean Isles” and the Oriented Natural Reserve “Oasi del Simeto”. The goal of such meeting was to train small-scale artisanal fishermen sailing in the gulf of Catania on topics related to the protection of marine biodiversity. In

From 23 February to 2 March, a dissemination and training activity was carried out during a workshop on the island of Lampedusa. The activity was addressed to the fishermen operating in the Marine Protected Area of the Pelagie Islands.

SEA MARVEL indeed, from the smallest planktonic organisms to the largest Fin whales, one can find marvellous creatures around the Maltese Islands. SEA MARVEL, an Interreg Italia-Malta project, has at heart important thematic dates to commemorate an aspect to help achieve conservation of the marine environment, and this includes the World Whale Day (19 February). This day helps us remember the importance of whales as part of the intricate marine ecosystem and valuable biodiversity.

The Italia-Malta SEA MARVEL project has identified important themes for achieving effective, sustainable, and equitable development in science, innovation, and conservation. Commemoration of females in science (11th February) is one of these critical themes.

SEA MARVEL exhibits a selection of endemic, vulnerable species & alien species – It showcases the marvellous diversity of species that often go ignored. The exhibition comprises 20 large stand-up posters composed of a collage of photos, and each poster has additional information accessible online through a QR code.

As part of the Italy-Malta Interreg Sea Marvel project, interested schools have received special educational awareness sessions. In consideration of World Oceans Day students have forwarded their feelings and thoughts about the sea and conservation of marine life.

Rich marine biodiversity means resilience and survival of species contributing to the mechanisms that do not only maintain the sea alive but mitigate planet-wide problems, such as climate change. A world of knowledge is therefore required to understand and contribute to the best decisions and measures for conservation from local to global, with detailed studies that consider species, habitats and ecosystems.

Given that the Maltese Islands are surrounded by a changing and increasingly exploited sea, one of the main focuses of the SEA MARVEL project is to shed light on its essential marine biodiversity also through awareness sessions within schools of Malta and Gozo.

Once started on 23 March 2022, monitoring activities continue on board cargo ships and scheduled ferries along the section between Porto Empedocle and the Pelagie islands of Linosa and Lampedusa. In collaboration with the Italian Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), associated partner of the project, the presence of the following specimens was

The monitoring has now started in Italian and Maltese waters in order to identify the endangered marine species-indicators. On board the Ro-Ro Cargo ship “Eurocargo Venezia” of Grimaldi Lines, Dr. Alessandra Raffa, Sea Marvel observer, and Giuliana Pellegrino, Marecamp volunteer, Prof. Adriana Vella, coordinator of the Sea Marvel project at the University of Malta, set

To mitigate the erosion of marine biodiversity in the transboundary area by maintaining and restoring ecosystems and protected areas. These are the objectives of SEA MARVEL – Save, Enhance, Admire MARine VErsatile Life, which fit perfectly into the theme “The ocean: life and means of subsistence”, chosen to celebrate World Oceans Day 2021. The Second

SEA MARVEL aims to raise awareness of the risks and mitigate the effects of plastic pollution, declining populations of marine species, alien species invasion and climate change effects in order to support the protection of marine Natura 2000 sites.

On 21 May 2021, an online meeting was held – ahead of the International Biodiversity Day of 22 May 2021. The aim was of presenting the Sea Marvel project to the associated Partners, sharing the objectives of the project and analyzing its structure to identify each organization’s representatives and the mission of each one of