On Monday 28 May, the European Commission adopted measures to facilitate the recovery and recycling of fishing gear containing plastic, as part of a package of measures aimed at reducing the impact that certain plastic products have on the environment (see related articles).
Abandoned, lost or disposed fishing gear represents around 27% of marine litter, i.e. the equivalent of over 11,000 tonnes per year. Fishing gear is designed to catch fish and will continue to do so even if lost (“ghost fishing”), causing particular damage to the marine environment. It is designed to be durable in the marine environment and may take hundreds of years to degrade.
At the same time, the plastic used for fishing gear has a very high recycling potential but the current recycling market is rather small and highly localised.
The proposal on the table aims to “close the loop” for fishing gear by introducing an extended producer responsibility scheme for gear containing plastic. The objective is to ensure that the cost of managing discarded plastic fishing gear, once it has arrived on shore, is borne by the producers of plastic fishing gear parts, and not by the ports.
Fishermen and artisanal makers of fishing gear containing plastic will not be covered by the extended producer responsibility scheme.
The proposal completes the existing legislation on port waste reception facilities for disposal of waste from boats. This is currently being reviewed.
The proposal states that “such mechanisms and incentives should increase the share of end of life fishing gear recovered”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)