Over 11,000 tonnes of fishing gear discarded at sea in EU every year

The European Commission has vowed to tackle the burgeoning problem of marine waste.

The European Commission has vowed to tackle the burgeoning problem of marine waste, zoning in on the 11,000 tonnes of fishing gear lost or discarded at sea in the EU every year.

As part of the overall single-use plastic reduction targets, the EU's executive branch said it is proposing new measures on reporting lost fishing gear and its retrieval.

Member states, such as Ireland, are now compelled under 2019 rules to ensure that certain single-use plastic products are no longer placed on the EU market, namely when sustainable products can be used instead.

These include cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, balloons sticks, as well as some products made of expanded polystyrene such as cups and food and beverage containers, the Commission said.

Fishing gear, along with the likes of single-use plastic bags, bottles, packets and wrappers, tobacco filters, sanitary items and wet wipes, is treated differently.

Limiting their use, reducing consumption and preventing littering through labelling requirements are measures taken for this category.

Under the new rules, from next year, member states will be required to report on fishing gear containing plastic that comes on the market, and fishing gear collected at sea. 

The aim is to incentivise bringing all fishing gear ashore and improving its handling there, the Commission said.

Obligations

Member states like Ireland will have further obligations. Countries with marine waters will have to set a national minimum annual collection rate of waste fishing gear containing plastic for recycling by the end of 2024.

Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear accounts for 27% of beach litter, according to an EU impact assessment of 2018, and a significant proportion of the fishing gear placed on the market is not collected for treatment.

Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: ”The negative impacts of plastic litter on the environment, on oceans and marine life, and on our health are global and drastic. 

Plastic waste keeps on accumulating, and 11,000 tonnes of fishing gear are lost or discarded at sea in the EU per year, adding to the problem of ghost fishing.

"The rules to reduce plastic pollution are ambitious and respond to citizens' calls for decisive action, making the EU a forerunner in the global fight against marine litter."

Ghost fishing describes discarded fishing gear that still catches life, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

"Ghost fishing gear is the deadliest form of marine plastic as it unselectively catches wildlife, entangling marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks, subjecting them to a slow and painful death through exhaustion and suffocation," the WWF says.