I
Ian Cloke
Guest
Fishing for Litter - a new scheme helping fishermen to reduce the amount of man-made waste discarded in the sea - will soon begin in the Westcountry.
The project was originally started in 2000 by the North Sea Directorate of the Dutch Government and the Dutch Fisheries Association, with the aim of clearing the North Sea of litter.
Trawlermen were asked not to not shovel back waste but bag it and bring it ashore.
Fishing for Litter quickly became an important part of the fishing activities there, and is now in place in ten Scottish harbours, "with room for expansion to more", said its UK co-ordinator, John Mouat, based on the Shetland Isles.
Fishing for Litter is organised around Europe by KIMO International (a local authorities international environmental organisation) initially as part of the EU co-funded Save the North Sea project.
Five years ago KIMO UK introduced the Fishing for Litter scheme to British North Sea ports like Lerwick and Peterhead.
At the end in 2004 of a three-year pilot project a staggering total of 450 tonnes of litter had been collected aboard over 50 boats from four countries.
Mr Mouat was recently invited to Newlyn by Seafood Cornwall to give details of the scheme to fishermen, together with environmentalists like Natural England and the World Wildlife Fund.
He said: "It is at present a Scotland-wide project, and we say it is a win-win scheme throughout, because the less litter that fishermen catch in their nets the less damage there will be to their fishing gear and catch; whilst at the same time it prevents damage to marine animals and the environment.
"In Scotland there are at present ten harbours from which the scheme operates, and there is room for four more at places like Ullapool.
"In the South West, Fishing for Litter is in its very early stages, and at present we are looking for ways to achieve funding.
"But we are very optimistic, and may soon be looking at three or four harbours where a pilot study may take place."
The project was originally started in 2000 by the North Sea Directorate of the Dutch Government and the Dutch Fisheries Association, with the aim of clearing the North Sea of litter.
Trawlermen were asked not to not shovel back waste but bag it and bring it ashore.
Fishing for Litter quickly became an important part of the fishing activities there, and is now in place in ten Scottish harbours, "with room for expansion to more", said its UK co-ordinator, John Mouat, based on the Shetland Isles.
Fishing for Litter is organised around Europe by KIMO International (a local authorities international environmental organisation) initially as part of the EU co-funded Save the North Sea project.
Five years ago KIMO UK introduced the Fishing for Litter scheme to British North Sea ports like Lerwick and Peterhead.
At the end in 2004 of a three-year pilot project a staggering total of 450 tonnes of litter had been collected aboard over 50 boats from four countries.
Mr Mouat was recently invited to Newlyn by Seafood Cornwall to give details of the scheme to fishermen, together with environmentalists like Natural England and the World Wildlife Fund.
He said: "It is at present a Scotland-wide project, and we say it is a win-win scheme throughout, because the less litter that fishermen catch in their nets the less damage there will be to their fishing gear and catch; whilst at the same time it prevents damage to marine animals and the environment.
"In Scotland there are at present ten harbours from which the scheme operates, and there is room for four more at places like Ullapool.
"In the South West, Fishing for Litter is in its very early stages, and at present we are looking for ways to achieve funding.
"But we are very optimistic, and may soon be looking at three or four harbours where a pilot study may take place."