Brussels, 04/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Europêche, an association representing 80,000 fishermen in Europe announced on Monday 2 March that it had teamed up with environmental group Waste Free Oceans (WFO) to help combat the growing issue of marine litter.
At a meeting of the two organisations in Brussels this week, Europêche pledged to work with its member organisations to raise awareness of the issue and encourage fishermen across Europe to get involved in clean-up initiatives.
Throughout Europe, fishermen have taken part in initiatives such as the Fishing for Litter scheme in the UK and the Isla Verde project in Spain that aim to keep the oceans as litter and pollutant-free as possible. These initiatives have seen fishermen collecting and disposing of their waste including plastics, ropes and fishing nets when back on land as well as participating in clean-up efforts in particularly badly affected areas.
According to a recent US study, eight million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped in the world's oceans each year.
Europêche says the aim of the partnership is to encourage fishermen and the plastics industry to work together to prevent marine littering and proactively clear plastics in the ocean. The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) may provide funding to support fishermen taking part in projects contributing to the preservation of oceans. (Lionel Changeur)