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An evaluation of the Fishing For Litter (FFL) scheme in the UK in terms of attitudes, behavior, barriers and opportunities
Summary
A UK program called Fishing For Litter, where fishing boats collect ocean trash they encounter during normal work, is helping tackle the growing problem of marine litter, including plastics that break down into microplastics and eventually end up in seafood and drinking water. Researchers found that fishers who participate in the program not only feel good about it, but also tend to adopt cleaner waste habits overall, both at sea and on land, suggesting these clean-up efforts can shift behavior at the source rather than just cleaning up after the fact. This matters because reducing ocean plastic pollution at its root may help limit the microplastics that eventually make their
Marine litter is a global, persistent, and increasing threat to the oceans, and numerous initiatives aim to address this challenge. Fishing For Litter (FFL) is a voluntary clean-up scheme, where litter is collected as part of routine fishing operations. We surveyed fishers (n = 97) and stakeholders (n = 22) in the UK to investigate perceptions of FFL, its strengths and weaknesses, and potential co-benefits of the scheme. Fishers reported being aware of and concerned about the negative impacts of litter. Overall, FFL was evaluated very positively (7.85/10). In addition, FFL fishers reported less environmentally harmful waste management behaviors both out at sea and in other contexts than did non-FFL fishers. Fishers and stakeholders listed strengths and weaknesses of the scheme and made suggestions for future changes. As well as directly helping to remove litter, this paper demonstrates that clean-up schemes can make a contribution to addressing the underlying causes of marine pollution.