SeaPaCS. Citizen Scientists investigating Marine Pollution

Photo C.Certomà

We are starting today our EU H2020 sub-project “Participatory Citizen Science against Marine Pollution and Climate Change” funded by the IMPETUS project.

SeaPaCS – “Participatory Citizen Science against marine pollution” project is intended to raise awareness about the consequences of marine plastic pollution on local biodiversity and to trigger transformative local action for sustainability-oriented behaviours in the coastal city of Anzio (Rome). Citizen scientists will help us in two complementary research questions: What marine microbial community lives on microplastics in the Mediterranean plastisphere? How can the experience of sea workers and amateurs help decrease plastic debris and promote sustainable behaviours? SeaPaCS combines natural and social science research to engage multiple citizen groups (migrant fishermen cooperatives, students, associations, sailors and divers, scientists, video makers and photographers…) in meetings open to everybody (called “collaboratorium”), training sessions and co-production of tools for collective sea-going expeditions in the coastal waters on sailing and fishing boat, interviews, and the organisation of public activities (e.g. video and photo expositions, media coverage, redaction of follow-up plan). SeaPaCS is led by Chiara Certomà – DIGGEO@ESOMAS lab at the University of Turin (UniTo), Italy, and co-coordinated by Luisa Galgani – Marine Biochemistry Division of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany, and Federico Fornaro – Italian Naval League (LNI), Italy.

Locals will act as citizen scientist and help us, social and natural researchers, to get acquainted with the location, with the problem of plastic pollution in your sea and with the possibilities this can be tackled in Anzio. 

For this purpose, we invite citizens:

1. To take part in 2 open meetings to know each other, learn more about the status and the consequences of plastic pollution in the sea, build up with us easy and funny amatorial plastic trawls you can bring home and use, tell us about the experience and opinion about the sustainability policy in Anzio and how these can be bettered. We will lead our chat in an informal, open and collaborative way on the Lega Navale Italiana terrace in Anzio, a beautiful place to meet and enjoy a scientific-aperitive together during the meetings;
2. To join us for short marine expeditions (half a day) in the coastal sea of Anzio to collect samples of micro-plastic by using a professional device, called Neuston-net, and prepare the samples for biological and chemical analysis. In the meanwhile, we will explain how oceanographic and marine biological research works, what are the main topics the international scientific community is investigating and how we try to do it in the most sustainable way via wind sailing (so, you’ll also experience a nice sailing boat trip and get to know about sustainably sailing ultimate innovation from our skipper at the Italian Naval League). We will sail from the Italian Naval League harbour in Anzio. 
3. To join us for short marine expeditions (half a day) in the coastal sea of Anzio with a local fisherman cooperative, so that we can personally testify how many plastic debris is collected in fishing activity  and help us with open interviews with fishermen about their encounter with plastic in the sea. We will meet and leave from the fishermen’s harbour in Anzio.
4. We will have a short interview with fishermen (ca. 15 minutes) during our expeditions on boat or in the mainland, to learn more about their experience with plastic in the sea, where they think it is necessary to act and what we can do. We will make agreements in advance and you will be notified in advance about the questions we are posing, however -being an open interview- you’ll be free to complement and expand them.
5. Young citizen researchers can participate in our training session to learn more about plastic pollution, tell us your opinion and build plastic trawls with us. The training session will be held at Lega Navale Italiana in Anzio.

The overall aim of SeaPaCS is to realise a fully participatory citizen science process that combines natural and social science research and engages multiple citizen groups in the achievement of the following goals:

* data collection, elaboration and sharing on the biological consequences of marine plastic pollution, and 

* drafting a plan for sustainability-oriented practices in the coastal city of Anzio (Italy). 

SeaPacs has received the endorsement from the #OceanDecade. The official page is here: https://oceandecade.org/events/seapacs/

And on the 16th of June 2023 received the patronage of the local administration, Comune di Anzio.

The calendar of initiatives includes two in-depth debate meetings in July and November, four sailing boat trips for the sampling of microplastics at sea through a survey tool called Neuston-net, events of video documentation and interviews with fishermen at sea, as well as a training event on plastic recycling dedicated to the youngest. Information on the project can be consulted on the constantly updated website https://crowdusg.net/seapacs/ and the events are advertised on the blog https://crowdusg.net/.

[Italian version]

Il progetto SeaPaCS, supportato dai fondi europei del progetto IMPETUS, nasce con lo scopo di sensibilizzare sulle conseguenze dell’inquinamento marino da plastica sulla biodiversità locale e di innescare azioni trasformative orientate alla sostenibilità nella nostra città di Anzio.

Il progetto SeaPaCS, promosso dalla ricercatrice in Geografia Sociale del laboratorio DIGGEO@ESOMAS dell’Università di Torino Chiara Certomà, con la coordinazione scientifica della ricercatrice Luisa Galgani della Divisione di Biochimica Marina del GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Reasearch di Kiel (Germania), da Federico Fornaro, amministratore delegato di Raw News, e in collaborazione con la Lega Navale Italiana di Anzio, combina la ricerca biologica e sociale coinvolgendo diversi gruppi di cittadini (pescatori, studenti, associazioni sportive e ambientali, videomaker e fotografi) ed enti e istituzioni locali in incontri aperti a tutti – collaboratorium –, in sessioni di formazione e auto-produzione di strumenti di monitoraggio e raccolta delle microplastiche in mare, in spedizioni marittime collettive nelle nostre acque costiere su barche a vela e da pesca, e in interviste e organizzazione di attività di comunicazione, quali mostre fotografiche, proiezione di video e dibattiti).

Il calendario delle iniziative prevede due incontri di approfondimento nei mesi di luglio e novembre, quattro uscite in barca a vela per il campionamento delle microplastiche in mare attraverso uno strumento di indagine chiamato Neuston-net, eventi di documentazione video e interviste ai pescatori in mare, oltre a un evento formativo sul riciclo della plastica dedicato ai più piccoli. Le informazioni sul progetto sono consultabili sul sito costantemente aggiornato https://crowdusg.net/seapacs/ e gli eventi sono pubblicizzati sul blog https://crowdusg.net/.

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