What is Redes Fantasma?
An early-intervention chain against ghost gear – from the fishing boat to responsible disposal.
"Redes fantasma” (Portuguese for “ghost nets”) refers to lost and abandoned fishing gear – internationally known as ALDFG (Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear). Up to 30% of fishing gear worldwide is lost or abandoned at sea. According to the website "Our World in Data" fishing nets and ropes account for 46% of the plastic waste by weight in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Lost gear keeps catching marine life and slowly breaks down into microplastics.
Redes Fantasma is an international marine conservation initiative led by the Swiss non-profit association Redes Fantasma Switzerland. Together with fishing communities, researchers and technology partners, it builds one connected chain across four workstreams: Prevent, Tag & Find, Recover and Dispose Responsibly.
Beach cleanings, school visits and the children’s book "Lou and the Ghost Nets" carry awareness across generations.
Where possible, gear is equipped with low-cost location buoys before it is lost, so fishers and local teams can find and recover it themselves. Sonar imaging locates gear that has already sunk. Recovery happens in the short window while it is still practical and affordable – before gear drifts beyond reach and becomes permanent ghost gear. Explore how early intervention works. Recovered material is routed to responsible treatment.
In this way, Redes Fantasma translates environmental and regulatory objectives into practical action at sea.
Our unique approach
A rare combination of people – united by one cause, learning as they go.
What makes Redes Fantasma unique is the integration of community knowledge, real-world testing and open technological development within one continuous learning process. Instead of separating research, engineering and field operations, the project develops and validates solutions directly in real operational environments. Coastal communities, divers, fishers and research partners are involved from the beginning, allowing technologies and recovery procedures to be adapted to actual conditions at sea. This approach enables not only the recovery of ghost nets but also the development of practical methods that can be transferred and applied in different coastal regions.
Most responses to ghost gear begin after the loss: clean-ups, awareness campaigns, recycling pledges. They matter, but they do not stop the next net from becoming ghost gear. Redes Fantasma intervenes earlier in the failure mechanism by reducing gear loss, keeping lost gear locatable, recovering it early and documenting its disposal. That requires our patent-pending location technology, and people who can put it to work at sea.
Redes Fantasma is effective because it brings together people who rarely work side by side. On the Atlantic coast, Ocean Patrol in Peniche contributes local grounding and the tireless commitment of fishers, divers and volunteers, whose beach cleanings make marine pollution tangible. Engineers and researchers, including the inventor of our location buoys and the Ulm University of Applied Sciences (THU), turn field problems into working technology.
Each side sharpens the other: the field shows what actually works at sea, and engineering gives the field tools it can use and own. Ports and authorities are involved early, because turning regulation into routine practice at the quayside is often the hardest step.
Project initiator Urs Endress provides long-term backing and the patience that lets a project learn. Twice-yearly symposia keep everyone focused on results, while anchor funding provides continuity between steps.
We strengthen local partner organizations and their autonomy, so skills and equipment stay on the coast. Private donors, donated expertise, Corporate Members and Rotary Clubs broaden participation. The lasting outcome is practical methods that other coastal communities can adopt – a program that scales coast by coast, region by region.
What drives us
“We act proactively and pragmatically, every small step counts."
Ghost nets continue to trap and kill marine life long after they are lost.
Engaging local actors, fostering innovation and developing adaptable technologies, always with respect for the biosphere. A project that learns continuously.
Urs Endress
Project Initiator
President of Redes Fantasma Switzerland
Global alignment
The initiative supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) by promoting the prevention and reduction of marine pollution, particularly plastic waste. At the European level, the initiative aligns with the EU Plastics Strategy and the European Green Deal, which aim to reduce plastic pollution, promote a circular economy, and protect marine and coastal ecosystems. It also contributes to the global Rotary movement End Plastic Soup, aligning local action with an international commitment to reducing plastic pollution.
Innovation
We combine new approaches in technology, governance and community-driven open-source development to build sustainable and scalable value chain models.
Education and awareness
Symposium events, the children’s book "Lou and the Ghost Nets", workshops, clean-ups and school visits strengthen long-term prevention and engagement.
Governance structure
The Redes Fantasma project is organized to address ghost nets flexibly across their full lifecycle, from prevention and detection to recovery and responsible disposal. It brings practitioners, field partners and technology partners together within a shared framework that enables local decision-making and close collaboration between real-world operations and technical development.
The structure shown below coordinates partner contributions and provides clear alignment between the Board of the Swiss association Redes Fantasma Schweiz, the project lead, and the progress team responsible for regular coordination.
Achievements
From early awareness to a coordinated initiative
Redes Fantasma has grown from early awareness and community effort into a coordinated, technology-enabled, internationally supported initiative. Ocean Patrol established the first real-life laboratory on the Atlantic coast in 2021, and the two organizations joined hands in 2024. Volunteer networks expanded across Portugal, Germany and Switzerland, while sponsors and Rotary Clubs helped build momentum.
What began with a failed recovery dive evolved into a structured innovation path: functional location-buoy prototypes, converging engineering and fieldwork, and a deeply rooted community engagement model. The children’s book became a powerful educational tool, reaching schools and families, while growing communication on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn helped broaden reach and mobilize supporters across regions.
Innovation, fieldwork and community engagement converge
Much of the project, including this website, is built collaboratively. Divers, fishers, students, engineers and supporters contribute photos, footage and stories that shape how the initiative is seen and understood. Partnerships with THU in Ulm and other institutions strengthen the scientific backbone of the project, while community-generated material strengthens its authenticity.
Step by step: Through prototyping, symposia, coastal collaboration, academic research and shared communication, a scalable system to prevent, locate and recover ghost nets is emerging. The project history below traces this journey.
ULISSES 2026: Student innovation on ghost gear
Building on connections established during the Lisbon Symposium 2026, Redes Fantasma and Ocean Patrol contributed practical field expertise to ULISSES, the University of Lisbon's international interdisciplinary student program.
Over three weeks, 36 students representing 11 nationalities developed innovative responses to the ghost gear crisis. Redes Fantasma project leader Michael Herzog served on the final jury, further strengthening the exchange between academic research and practical field experience.
The winning Scylla concept combined ecological risk assessment with fisher and ranger participation, location buoys, early reporting and recovery strategies, as well as circular pathways for collected fishing gear in Australia. The project reflects many of the principles promoted by Redes Fantasma: early intervention, collaborative fieldwork and practical innovation to prevent, locate and recover ghost gear. Read the University of Lisbon article "Scylla wins the 6th ULISSES edition with a plan for the ghost gear crisis".
History of
Redes Fantasma
Media center
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Impressions from the Redes Fantasma Symposium 2025 in Faro
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Testing the FloatLocator
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How to detect sunken nets with the DeepLocator
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Ocean Patrol and Redes Fantasma in action
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Christiane Hamacher, President 2025–2026, Rotary Club H₂O
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Project announcement 2024 by the initiator Urs Endress
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Plastic Soup – The biggest soup in the world!
Podcasts
Michael’s Green World – The Ocean Race: From Racetrack to Force for the Ocean
A talk with Lucy Hunt, marine biologist and Ocean Impact Director at The Ocean Race, about the evolution from sporting adventure to Racing for the Ocean.
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Available languages
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Michael’s Green World – Backstage at Faro: Preparing a Symposium
Behind the scenes of the Redes Fantasma symposium preparations in Portugal, discussing ocean conservation, collaboration and practical field challenges.
Apple Podcasts
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Available languages
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Lou and the Ghost Nets
Dive in and discover a fascinating underwater adventure with Lou, the sea turtle, and Lou's grandfather.
This beautifully illustrated book introduces children to the importance of ocean conservation in an engaging and accessible way.
Available in Portuguese, German, English, French, and Italian.