Fishing for Litter Baltic
A proposal to expand our Fishing for Litter project in the Baltic Sea region
Project Summary
Fishing for Litter Baltic (FFL) would be a three-year pilot project, undertaken by KIMO Baltic, 
designed to engage the fishing industry to improve waste management practices and reduce marine litter. The project has two main aims; firstly setting up a network of harbours around the Baltic where participating boats can land marine litter they have caught in their nets, as part of their normal fishing activity, thus removing it from the marine environment. Secondly to change the working practices within the fishing industry thus hopefully preventing litter reaching the marine environment in the first instance.
Fishing for litter is a simple idea. The participating vessels are given large (1m3) hardwearing bags to collect marine litter that gathers in their nets as part of their normal fishing activity. Full bags are deposited on the quayside where the participating harbours monitor the waste before moving the bag to a dedicated skip for disposal. The project provides the bags and covers the waste costs and the fishermen and harbours volunteer their time. Operational or galley waste generated on board, and hence the responsibility of the vessel, continues to go through the normal harbour waste management system.
The project would be co-ordinated by a co-ordinator based in Simrishamn that would manage liaison with harbours, contact fishermen, arrange waste contracts and undertake publicity and administration of the project. The project is based on the other successful FFL initiatives in the UK and Netherlands operated by KIMO but is a first for the Baltic region.
Project Aims
The main aims of the Project to date have been:
Raising awareness amongst the fishing industry resulting in a change in attitudes and 
behaviour.
The development of the project would benefit the Baltic marine environment by reducing marine litter thus achieving a cleaner seabed; this will have positive impacts for the fishing industry, local authorities, wildlife, and users of the coast. As levels of marine litter reduce, fishermen will achieve a long term benefit as currently marine litter damages their catches and costs them loss of valuable time at sea. Due to the estimated reduction in litter arriving ashore there will also be a benefit to local authorities that are required to clean amenity beaches in their area and for the public who use them. Other positive impacts will be experienced by various other industries in coastal areas such as tourism that depends upon a pristine environment. Apart from the economic benefits the removal of marine litter from the seabed will also have a large benefit to wildlife.
The video below shows the launch of the project in Scotland in 2003.
E-mail KIMO to learn more about this project: info@kimo.shetland.org