Commission selects 13 new projects to restore ocean and waters

The European Commission has announced that 13 new projects with a budget of €116 million aimed at restoring the health of the ocean and waters, have been selected for funding. The projects were selected under the EU Mission Ocean and Waters calls, will focus on a range of initiatives, including preserving offshore marine protected areas, protecting migratory fish habitats, reducing the environmental impact of fisheries and empowering local communities to lead the restoration of our ocean, seas and waters.

The projects will be implemented across various sea basins, including the Black Sea, Danube River, Baltic and North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic and Arctic regions. Austrian organisations are involved in 5 out of the 13 selected projects.

Some of the notable projects include SEAMPHONI, which will use advanced technology to monitor offshore marine biodiversity, and DanubeLifelines (coordinated by BOKU University, Vienna), which will restore pathways for fish in the Danube River. Other projects, such as ECO-CATCH and MarineGuardian, will develop new fishing technologies to reduce unwanted bycatch and protect marine habitats.

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