12 November, 2026

CETMAR introduces more than 100 students to fishing and marine conservation

More than 100 pupils in the 5th and 6th years of primary school from the Alba school and Lar school in Vigo have taken part recently in activities organised at the A Aixola Training Centre, as the CETMAR’s contribution to the Galician Network of Blue Schools and the LIFE CIBBRiNA project, focused on by-catch.

All the students spent two days at the A Aixola Training Centre, managed by CETMAR on behalf of the Regional Ministry of the Sea at the Marín Port Authority’s premises, with funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

During a tour, they learnt about the centre and its training programmes in jobs related to the maritime fishing sector like fishing gear, mechanical repairs, shipbuilding, and boat repairs. The visit concluded with a workshop on responsible fishing, where a participatory game encouraged reflection on fisheries management based on scientific knowledge. The Alba and Lar schools had already developed projects on sustainability over last year. Now, they are developing a new project based on the so-called ‘Research Kits’ from the CIBBRiNA project, funded by the European LIFE programme for reducing by-catches of marine megafauna species that are threatened, endangered or protected during fishing activities.

The kits aim to raise awareness and offer practical, participatory activities to enable students to investigate how fishing gear works, the species that may be caught accidentally, the causes of such by-catches, and the solutions to prevent this.

Designed to spark curiosity and encourage critical thinking, this resource explores the relationship between fishing and marine conservation across different disciplines. They also highlight the collaboration between fisheries and science to research and develop joint solutions.

Following an initial introductory session in September –a starting point for the work to be performed with the research kits throughout this academic year – the visit to the A Aixola training centre provided a more direct insight into the world of fishing

Galician Network of Blue Schools

The Galician Network of Blue Schools is aimed at schools that integrate ocean and aquaculture literacy into their activities with projects linked to the sea, rivers and lakes, involving the educational community and its environment. Through this Network, which is part of the Spanish and European networks, schools receive support to develop ‘blue’ projects, access specialised materials and obtain information on funding opportunities. The aim is to engage students and the local community, promoting practical and critical learning about aquatic ecosystems. It also seeks to raise awareness of the ocean’s vital role in climate regulation and biodiversity.