Life LEMA develops several activities to collect important data for the project. On this occasion, we talk about the little wooden boats that are launched into the sea from the boats of the project with the aim of knowing more about the dynamics of the currents on the coast of the Bay of Biscay.

LEMA boats thrown in the high seas.

This activity is driven by the project partner AZTI and its objective is to launch wooden boats in specific sites of the high seas to carry out a study of the trajectories that marine litter cross until reaching our coasts. This way, the little boats launched from different points in the Bay of Biscay will be dragged by the same currents by which the marine litter is carried away and will reach the coast as this litter would do.

In addition to the project’s boats, this year the boat Ramón Margalef of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) of Gijón has collaborated to launch 120 little boats and buoys in the middle of the Atlantic. The objective is that the buoys, which have autonomy for about a year, navigate to the North Atlantic Gyre and track their route (both buoys and boats are expected to be found on different continents).

Some of our boats with their finders.

The project has had great reception and has generated interest in both young people and adults, as well as in different communication media. As an added value to the activity, these boats are painted by schoolchildren before being launched into the sea, thus, making them participants of the project and carrying out awareness activities on the problem of marine litter. In addition, this year Life LEMA has participated with this initiative in two important events at a local level: the 1st International Maritime Festival of Pasaia, held from May 18 to 21, and the Itsasoaren Soinuak, held on August 24.

Tweet from Irene Ruiz, our fellow from AZTI, about finishing the elaboration of the LEMA boats.

With one year to go before the Life LEMA project ends, Albaola Factory, which collaborates with the project making the little boats, has elaborated 1000 boats that have been and are to be launched during the 3 years of the project. Of these 1000 ships, 600 are already sailing and their recovery rate is 40%. Which means that of those that have been launched so far, there are still more than half left to be found! Therefore, from the Life LEMA team we encourage you to look for them in your favorite beaches and ports. Do not forget to send us your photos and you will appear on our website!

We leave you with the example of Fernando, who participated in the project with his dog Paco and wrote an entry in his Spanish blog “La Sorrozuela” explaining his experience, do take a look!

Fernando and Paco with their boat n. 536.