The Vox Maris “Life Save Project” stems from a specific concern raised by the fishermen working with the Foundation: they asked the BDF how to enable the survival of the so called “by-catch”.

‘By-catch’ is the term used to define fish waste, all the organisms unintentionally caught by fishing vessels which are unsuitable for commercial exploitation. They are organisms that are discarded, for example because they are too small, such as molluscs, starfish, crustaceans, seahorses, but together they enable the silent and delicate mechanism of our beautiful sea: each component plays an essential role, like the cogwheels of a Swiss watch, of all different sizes, which only by working together can tell the exact time.

The BioDesign Foundation presented a solution, which was then refined in collaboration with the Biology Department of the University of Padua. It involves a system in which the catch is placed on a kind of table-like basin filled with tempered water. This prevents the animals from drying out, thereby keeping them alive. The by-catch is separated from the commercially exploitable animals and immediately put into so-called life-saving tanks (water basins). This way the animals remain in their element. From there, they are returned to the sea through pipes that reach up to four metres deep into the water.

Vox Maris Life Save Project, whose goal is the survival of the by-catch, is currently at the center of a scientific study led by the University Padua. As part of this project, the Foundation is funding research grants for two marine biologists for the duration of one year on eight vessels (four equipped with life-saving tanks, four without) to evaluate its effectiveness. A by-catch survival rate of 70 percent.

The first results of the research will be available in summer 2024. In a year, the BioDesign Foundation will then present the final scientific report to the public. The goal is that fishermen who use this ethical fishing system will get a better price for their fish through the “Life Save Project Certificate”. We also hope that later the life-saving tank system will become mandatory on all fishing boats.