New project deploys underwater robots to rid Black Sea of ghost nets

TRABZON

Scientists have launched a new project using underwater robots, cameras and artificial intelligence to remove ghost nets from the Black Sea and monitor the subsequent recovery of marine life.

Building on findings from a regional collaborative project that removed nearly 10 tons of ghost nets from the Black Sea, this new project, ROWER, shifts the focus from detection and cleanup to full ecosystem restoration.

Ghost nets are discarded or lost fishing nets that continue to trap fish and other marine organisms uncontrollably for years.

Over four years, researchers from the Karadeniz Technical University will conduct intensive fieldwork, develop specialized underwater vehicles designed to remove nets safely and apply stereo camera technologies to assess habitats in different marine environments.

At the same time, AI-assisted camera systems will continuously record and classify marine species, allowing scientists to track changes in biodiversity before and after cleanup operations.

With support from the European Union and contributions from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, ecologically sensitive areas along the Turkish Black Sea coast have been identified as pilot sites.

ROWER brings together 34 partners from 14 countries and has a total budget of approximately 12 million euros ($14.2 million).

According to project scientists, the Black Sea currently lacks clearly defined marine protected areas, making large-scale monitoring and coordinated action especially important.