THE ports of Howth and Kilmore Quay have been officially welcomed to an initiative being led by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and funded by the European and Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
‘Fishing for Litter’, established in 2015, encourages fishermen to collect litter during normal fishing activities at sea on an entirely voluntary basis. It now operates in 11 ports throughout Ireland.
Catherine Barrett, BIM, said fishermen in Ireland have embraced ‘Fishing for Litter’ and all six fishery harbours run by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are now participating in the scheme.
“Fishing for Litter is part of our national commitment to help retrieve marine litter,” said Ms Barrett.
“The appetite for maintaining a clean marine environment among the Irish fishing sector is huge; their livelihoods depend on it.”
More than 90 fishing vessels are actively involved in the scheme. Once marine litter is collected, fishermen then alert their harbour master, and leave their ‘Fishing for Litter’ bags on the quayside, for safe and responsible disposal by waste contractors.
Harry McLoughlin, Harbour Master in Howth, first became involved in the scheme while he was Harbour Master in Dunmore East.
“On a practical level, I saw it [Fishing for Litter] as a way to reduce costs for the harbour but most importantly, it’ s made everyone from harbour staff to fishermen more conscious about having a good working environment,” said Mr McLoughlin. “One of the first questions I now get asked when boats come in is: Where are the [Fishing for Litter] bags?”
John Lynch, Chair of the South and East Fisherman’s Organisation is a fourth generation fisherman who is based in Howth. He said collecting marine litter at sea is everyone’s responsibility.
“We bring in every scrap, whether it’s plastics, shoes, bicycles,” he said.