Plast i haven - En djupdykning i fiskeredskapens problematik på Bohuskusten

Plastic debris in our oceans is a topic frequently occurring in environmental debates, both globally and locally.An increasing amount of plastic is being used without sufficient recycling or waste management, resulting in an increasing amount of plastics in our oceans.Plastic debris causes harm to both marine and land based animals, due to entanglement resulting in suffocation or starvation.One of the most harmful types of debris for marine animals is derelict fishing gear that is lost or abandoned in the ocean.This report studies and examines the current process of managing fishing gear in Bohus coast, Sweden.This is done by studying the network of parties involved in relation to the lifecycle of fishing gear.Through extensive interview work and literature studies, the group has compiled a description of the lifecycle of fishing gear and the parties involved.The results indicate some shortcomings in the handling of the gear, resulting in derelict fishing gear.Several problematic areas have been identified.The most prominent ones are lack of communication, difficulties in waste management in ports and many organizations being dependant on voluntary work and financial contributions.Due to strong currents in the waters of Bohus coast, lost fishing nets are rolled up and later washed ashore.At cliffs and beaches, the fishing gear causes damage to the wildlife in their "feeding and breeding"zones.Birds may for instance get entangled in fishing nets.Fishing cages and pots are not affected by ocean currents to the same extent as floating gear, which means that they can continue to "ghost fish" in the sea for a long period of time.Cages that are lost in the sea rarely wash ashore and must be collected from the seabed.Other problems occur during the recycling process of fishing gear.Salt, sand and algae must be washed off before the plastic can be recycled.The fishing gear often being designed in several materials, combined with the extensive cleaning process, makes the recycling process complicated and expensive to perform.The network of parties that manages fishing gear consists of many smaller parties.These currently carry out parallel projects that are similar instead of collaborating in larger projects.The group's recommendation is that the parties should cooperate and exchange experiences and information to streamline their work.A future collaboration could be to introduce a common database for marine debris and exchange experiences from projects.