Promoting Fishing for Litter activities and the use of European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) support

The event was about promoting the uptake of marine litter collection schemes to prevent and reduce pollution in the seas and ocean. It brought together stakeholders from many different countries, including the UK, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, Germany and Finland to share their experiences as each of them have their own particular challenges.

The core overall challenge is that the amount of marine litter keeps growing, which is causing considerable damage to the environment, tourism and the economy. Plastic and fishing related items make up the bulk of the marine litter.

The European Commission has set a legal framework (e.g. via the Single Use Plastics and the Port Reception Facilities Directives) and is making funding available at the EU level to support activities for marine litter prevention and reduction (e.g. EMFAF, regional cohesion funds or via the research programme Horizon Europe). The so-called Fishing for Litter (FFL) schemes revolve around the idea that fishers can help clean the seas by collecting litter caught up in their nets during normal fishing operations and bringing it back to shore.

Objectives of the FFL scheme are:

• Reduce marine litter from the marine environment through collection and proper disposal.

• Target behaviour by raising awareness of the socioeconomic and ecological impacts of marine litter.

• Change waste management processes within the fishing industry and in ports.

Conference Report: