The Venice lagoon is the largest in the Mediterranean. Since the times of the Republic of the Serenissima, man has changed the course of rivers to make the area functional to the life and economy of the inhabitants. A centuries-long process that has undermined its stability and now risks being seriously damaged. There are 4 main causes that risk breaking the fragile balance: uncontrolled fishing, climate change, the Mose (the system of artificial dams that should avoid the phenomenon of high water in Venice) and the extinction of the salt marshes (the pieces of land that live between salt water and river water) which act as carbon-sink. The Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Padua, based in Chioggia, has for years intensified its work for the preservation of this ecosystem and, surprisingly, many of the fishermen have asked for the help of researchers to study, control and find remedy for the deterioration of the lagoon.