On the occasion of World Fisheries Day, which is on the 21 November each year, let’s take a look at how the fishing community can contribute to reducing marine plastic litter. Voluntary so called ‘Fishing for Litter’ approaches prove to be one effective step. 

The principle: Fishers bring back waste collected as bycatch in their nets to fishing ports for proper waste management. ‘Rethinking Plastics’ currently supports pilot activities in several countries to engage fishers to not throw caught waste back into the sea.

For example, in the Chinese ports of Changhua and Sanya in Hainan Province: So far, 31 fishing boats joined the activities and collected over 630 kilos of marine litter during three months of the 2021 fishing season. Among the waste collected, 95 per cent consisted of fishing nets, crab traps and plastic debris. The Ecoranger Programme in Indonesia shared a video on their Fishing for Litter approach to clean, to care and to sustain the environment, while in Vietnam, the collection campaign with 17 boats in Phu Yen started recently. Our new infographic explains the idea behind ‘Fishing for Litter’.