Project
Workstreams and partners
Systematic work across the life cycle
Redes Fantasma links practical fieldwork with structured methods and long-term partnerships. Prevention, localisation, recovery and responsible handling are treated as connected parts of one continuous improvement process.
Workstreams provide a shared framework, while field and technology partners contribute real-world experience and operational capacity. Methods are tested where they matter most: on the coast, at sea and underwater.
What is learned in the field feeds back directly into the system, and new approaches are continuously validated in practice.
Our workstreams
The project operates across four interconnected workstreams that together form a scalable system for preventing loss, locating gear, recovering it and disposing of it responsibly: By coordinating the partners, we progress the project across the workstreams.
Prevent
Reduce risk of gear loss through awareness, accountability and safe end-of-life pathways
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Supply-chain and gear-level tagging to support traceability
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Local awareness activities with fishers, ports and coastal communities
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Support for safe gear disposal in collaboration with port authorities and supply-chain actors
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School programmes that anchor prevention early
Tag and find
Detect and localise lost gear
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Mark and localize fishing gear in coastal conditions
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Designed for community-based use at operational scale
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Validated in the field for cost, robustness and usability
Recover
Responsibly remove lost gear from the sea
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Coordinate recovery actions up to 50m depth
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Work with fishers, divers and local teams, prioritising safety
Dispose responsibly
Ensure recovered gear does not become pollution again
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Sort and document recovered materials directly after retrieval
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Route materials into appropriate recycling, recovery or disposal pathways
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Work with ports, waste operators and recyclers to close gaps in handling infrastructure
How the workstreams connect
The recycling symbol at the center of the pictogram represents the systemic interdependence of our four workstreams. Each step relies on the others – failure at any one point undermines the entire effort to reduce marine pollution.
Beach cleanings make this interdependence tangible: without prevention the volume explodes, without detection recovery becomes inefficient, and without responsible disposal pollution simply returns.
Project team
Michael Herzog
Project leader
Margherita Zorgno
Project development
Ophélie Reis
President OPAA
Sabrina Lennartz
Sonar research
Harald Molle
Product development
António Pádua
Operations OPAA
Philipp Zumoberhaus
Technology project support
Our partners
Field partners
Peniche, Portugal
INSTITUTE FOR MARINE BIOLOGY
Isola del Giglio, Italy
Campese Diving Center
Isola del Giglio, Italy
For an overview of our strategic partners, please refer to the corresponding section below
Field partners
Ocean Patrol Association (OPAA)
Peniche, Portugal
Ocean Patrol was founded by Ophélie Reis in 2021 as a community-driven association dedicated to coastal protection, education and hands-on cleanup work. Around the same time Urs Endress began exploring the ghost-net problem, and the first conversations with coastal actors naturally led to Ocean Patrol.
Because the mission aligned closely with the emerging goals of Redes Fantasma, Ocean Patrol became one of the earliest and most important field partners. As Redes Fantasma evolved, the collaboration deepened. Today, Ocean Patrol provides continuous field observations, retrieval actions, school engagement and operational support – forming a key pillar of real-life impact on the ground in Portugal.
Our real-world lab at the Atlantic: Ocean Patrol
Cleaning beaches
Raising awareness
Photo: Oceano Azul Foundation
Developing new technologies and research projects
By 2025, the collaboration had evolved into a real-life field laboratory, firmly anchoring Redes Fantasma’s work in Peniche and elsewhere on the coast. Regular online alignment meetings support cross-disciplinary coordination and help structure the volunteer work that is essential to the project’s citizen-science approach.
Community-based technical work takes place at the Redes Fantasma headquarters, where new prototypes and equipment are assembled, tested and refined through hands-on collaboration between volunteers, practitioners and engineers. Collected beach-cleaning material is sorted on site and directed to appropriate recycling or disposal pathways, ensuring the most ecological handling possible. Selected clean elements from beach cleanings are repurposed into symbolic accessories for education and awareness activities.
Timeline of Ocean Patrol
2021
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Founding of Ocean Patrol in Peniche, Portugal. The mission: to defend, protect and restore marine ecosystems.
2022
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Local beach cleanings evolved into organized marine litter removal operations, actively engaging local communities.
2023
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Expanded community engagement beyond civil society to include partnerships with local businesses, fishermen, and stakeholders, creating a stronger network for ocean conservation efforts.
2024
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Integration with the Redes Fantasma project
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Opening of new headquarters in Peniche
2025
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Significant expansion of Ocean Patrol's operational scope through close collaboration with partner initiatives and the local coastal community.
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Testing community- and radio-based location buoys for ghost-net tracking in Peniche, supported by international students analysing stakeholder interaction and coastal practices.
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Two symposia on ghost gear and marine pollution in Lisbon and Faro, Algarve are co-organized by Ocean Patrol, together with Redes Fantasma.
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Coordination of around 50 beach cleanups with approximately 1,500 volunteers, removing over 3.7 tons of trash from Peniche beaches throughout the year.
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Responsible recycling and disposal of the collected materials, avoiding landfill.
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Strengthened logistics capacity with a service van and a dedicated trailer
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A seahorse monitoring project in the Óbidos Lagoon, the biggest coastal lagoon in Portugal, is discussed with two municipalities
Isola del Giglio, Italy
INSTITUTE FOR MARINE BIOLOGY
Campese Diving Center
On Isola del Giglio, an island off the coast of Tuscany, Redes Fantasma works within a real-life field research environment that combines complex underwater terrain, professional diving operations and applied marine science.
The work on Giglio is carried out together with Mischa Schwarzmeier, a biologist at the international Institute for Marine Biology (IfMB), and the Campese Diving Center (CDC). They operate in an area representing all three major Mediterranean marine habitats, sandy seabeds, rocky reefs and seagrass zones:
IfMB provides research infrastructure and field access for applied marine studies, welcoming guest researchers, biology students (BSc and MSc) and doctoral candidates. This setting enables scientific work, training and practical experimentation to take place directly in the field – an essential prerequisite for developing and validating solutions to locate and recover ghost nets under realistic coastal conditions.
The underwater landscape around Giglio is characterised by rocky slopes, heterogeneous seabed structures and habitat transitions, where lost fishing gear often becomes entangled and difficult to detect or assess. The presence of multiple habitat types allows technologies to be tested across ecologically sensitive and structurally diverse environments, reflecting real-world recovery challenges.
Photo: Mischa Schwarzmeier
Field activities on Giglio are conducted in close collaboration with Mischa Schwarzmeier, the biologist and field-station lead at IfMB, together with the professional diving operations of the Campese Diving Center. IfMB’s open research model allows academic research, student fieldwork and project-based testing to run in parallel, strengthening the connection between science and practice.
Engineering development within Redes Fantasma is closely linked to underwater field experience. Harald Molle, lead engineer of the locating systems and an experienced diver himself, works directly in the water alongside professional divers indicating what is technically feasible, safe and ecologically responsible. This proximity between design, deployment and observation enables fast feedback cycles and supports iterative improvement under real conditions.
Together with other field locations, Isola del Giglio forms part of Redes Fantasma’s broader real-life laboratory approach, supporting solutions that are technically robust, ecologically responsible and transferable to other coastal settings.
Photo: Mischa Schwarzmeier
Technology partners
Photo: Mischa Schwarzmeier
University of Applied Sciences
Ulm, Germany
Technology Partners - Development
Thomas Walter
Laboratory for Microtechnology and Sensors
Institute for Medical Engineering and Mechatronics
Hubert Mantz
Laboratory for Microtechnology and Sensors
Institute for Medical Engineering and Mechatronics
The Laboratory for Microtechnology and Sensors is part of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Mechatronics at THU in Ulm. For over 15 years, R&D projects in the domains of thin-film solar cells and sensor technologies have been conducted by Professors Hubert Mantz and Thomas Walter. Beginning with radar systems, the sensor portfolio was extended to EMI metal detectors and optical technologies in conjunction with AI-supported signal processing.
The development of autonomous sensor platforms (e.g. UAVs, USVs, rovers) by the team facilitates the automated monitoring of subsea environmental parameters.
Since 2016, the research group has also supported the findmine project, providing the technological foundation and research framework that enabled its long-term development under the Urs Endress Foundation.
An important part of the group’s work is the supervision of PhD students and the publication of research results at international conferences and symposia.
Strategic partners
Redes Fantasma collaborates with a range of institutional, civic and network partners that provide public, scientific and educational reach. These collaborations amplify field-based work by connecting practical action to ocean literacy, policy dialogue and broad public engagement. The partners and affiliations listed here have collaborated with and supported field, education or awareness initiatives of Redes Fantasma at different points in time and in different roles.
The listing of partners and affiliations reflects collaborations, support or engagement at different points in time and in different contexts. Inclusion does not imply permanent partnership, financial dependency or formal endorsement, unless explicitly stated elsewhere.
Institutions and platforms
Providing scientific, educational or public platforms amplifying field-based work:
A Portuguese co-management initiative (hosted via Oceano Azul Foundation / CCMAR context), connecting fishers, researchers, authorities and NGOs to jointly shape sustainable fisheries governance.
Our team is in ongoing exchange with WWF Germany, including in particular Gabriele Dederer, who brings extensive operational and systemic expertise on ghost gear across its lifecycle. WWF Germany is actively engaged in addressing lost fishing gear through practical fieldwork, technology-enabled detection and recovery, and lifecycle-oriented approaches that connect on-the-ground action with systemic understanding.
Related WWF activities on ghost gear:
NGOs and international networks
Connecting local action to wider thematic movements:
Community and civic partners
Contributing through funding, outreach, education or local action:
Sub-Project partners
Contributing to specific activities, phases or deliverables:
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To be listed as applicable
Do you wish to contribute?
Redes Fantasma Schweiz is a tax-exempt, non-profit association based in the Canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Donations are primarily used to fund our work and projects. We keep administrative costs to a minimum so your support creates the greatest possible impact.
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Redes Fantasma Schweiz
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4467 Rothenfluh
Switzerland
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In the meantime, you can donate to the project either by bank transfer (IBAN) or by contacting us.
Thank you for your support!
Redes Fantasma Schweiz
Rothenfluh
Switzerland
Coordination and Governance
Peniche
Portugal
Ulm
Germany
Isola del Giglio
Italy
Rome
Italy
The organisational backbone of the project
Redes Fantasma Switzerland is the non-profit association that provides the legal, organisational and governance framework for the Redes Fantasma project. Founded in Switzerland, it ensures continuity, transparency and international credibility for an initiative operating across countries, disciplines and partner networks.
The association anchors strategy, coordination and accountability, while field operations, research and community action are carried out in close partnership with local actors, particularly in Portugal. Long-term funding support provides the stability needed to build field laboratories, coordination structures and an open learning approach beyond short-term project cycles.
Why a Swiss association
Switzerland provides a neutral, stable and trusted framework for managing international projects that bring together civil society, research, volunteers and sponsors. As a Swiss non-profit association under Swiss law (Art. 60 ff. Swiss Civil Code), Redes Fantasma Switzerland enables transparent governance, reliable financial oversight and long-term coordination across borders.
Purpose and activities
In line with its statutes, the association supports and coordinates the development and application of methods and technologies to locate and recover ghost nets, beach clean-ups and recovery operations, responsible disposal or recycling, public awareness and prevention efforts, and collaboration with fishers, NGOs, research institutions, Rotary Clubs and technology partners. Open and non-commercial approaches are promoted to enable replication in other regions.
Governance
Redes Fantasma Switzerland is governed by a voluntary Board responsible for strategic direction, financial responsibility and compliance with the association’s purpose. The association is chaired by Urs Endress, initiator of the Redes Fantasma project. All Board members serve in an honorary capacity, reinforcing the non-profit and mission-driven character of the organisation.