About the project

Fish & Click is part of the INDIGO project whose aim is to develop biodegradable fishing gear to reduce the total quantity of plastic in the ocean.

Fishing gear (nets, traps etc) made from plastic materials has an estimated lifetime of several hundred years, which is an issue if the gear is lost at sea. It generates pollution and some of the fishing equipment can even continue to fish, known as ghost fishing. In a global effort to reduce waste and improve biodiversity, it is essential to adapt the lifetime of the materials used in the fishing industry.

Under the banner of the INdiGO project, Ifremer is proposing to collect information on abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear, both found at sea and on the seashore using the public research programme "Fish & Click". All the sightings are important, whether you are a walker, divers, boater or fisherman. The protocol to log your sighting is simple and easy to use for everyone.

The INDIGO project started in 2019 and will end in 2023. It is funded by Interreg France (Channel) England (2.9M€) and brings together 6 scientific institutes: Bretagne Sud University, Ifremer, Centre technique Synergie Mer Et Littoral, CEFAS, Portsmouth University and Plymouth University. 4 industrial partners are also involved in the project: NaturePlast, Filt, IRMA and Marine South East.

Exhibition

In the final year of the project, an exhibition of some of the pictures that have been uploaded on the Fish & Click website or mobile application, will be displayed. A panel of amateurs, marine stakeholders and professional photographers will choose the pictures that most represent plastics from fishing activities.