Fisheries for a Sea without Litter
The objective of the project Fisheries for a Sea without Litter is to make Portuguese fishers aware of the importance of collecting and separating marine litter during fishing activities, aided by the provision of special containers to masters of fishing vessels, and creating the necessary infrastructure for handling the litter in ports.
This initiative began in the fishing port of Peniche with a pilot project that aimed to improve waste management in fishing ports and on vessels, and raise awareness and incentivise the fishing industry to adopt good environmental practices to help reduce marine litter.
Portugal has committed to expanding the project to the mainland fishing ports by 2030, which would involve 22 fishing ports and possibly hundreds of fishing vessels.
The project has been implemented in 17 fishing communities, involving 52 entities, 28 fishers’ organisations, 784 ships and 3,251 fishers.
The project has resulted in 6,877 cubic metres (m3) of collected waste, including 2,185 m3 of packaging and 4,692 m3 of unsorted residues.
A phone app is being tested in Peniche and Póvoa de Varzim that allows automatic quantification and characterisation of the residues captured in the fishing nets.
Challenges
Challenges included closing the circle of collected waste, with a view to its recovery and integration as a secondary raw material given the dispersed nature of waste collection and treatment companies.
This logistical problem has prevented the implementation of a solution at a national level so that only in some ports can a true circular economy be achieved.
Recipe for Successful Implementation
Re-creating this implementation process would require involving the fishing community from the beginning of the project as well as constantly monitoring and evaluating progress.
Furthermore, logistical partners must be established to deliver and treat the waste for processing.
Learn More
