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AT the recent meeting of the British-Irish Council Environment Sectoral Group Ministers agreed to support Fishing for Litter Schemes within their jurisdictions.
The proposal came from the Isle of Man who presented a paper highlighting Fishing for Litter, which is coordinated by KIMO UK, as an innovative response to the environmental and economic impact of marine litter on coastal communities. The meeting which was attended by Environment ministers from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey and The Isle of Man agreed that members would investigate the costs of developing schemes with their relevant departments.
Mr John Mouat KIMO UK Coordinator stated: "Marine litter remains one of the most significant environmental problems yet to be addressed and affects the marine environment on a worldwide scale. Around 20,000 tonnes is dumped into the North Sea alone every year. Therefore, we are delighted that Ministers have agreed to support Fishing for Litter, which aims to provide a practical solution to the problem."
Plastic, the predominate type of marine litter, can cause entanglement or be ingested by marine mammals and birds killing 100,000 and 1,000,000 respectively world wide each year. Studies as part of the Save the North Sea project showed that 96% of Fulmars in the North Sea had plastic in their stomachs and a recent study by Plymouth University has shown the alarming prevalence of microscopic plastic particles in northern seas, which can be taken up by filter feeders such as barnacles and sand hoppers.
However, not only does it cause damage to wildlife, but fishermen’s livelihoods also suffer too. KIMO has calculated that marine litter costs fishermen approximately £1,300 per tonne in lost time alone, without considering damage to gear or lost catches.
Mr Mouat added: “Now that ministers have supported the concept, we will be approaching them to develop national strategies for Fishing for Litter in both the UK and Ireland and will continue working with the Isle of Man and Scottish Governments where Fishing for Litter initiatives are already up and running.”
www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.
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