Fishermen's new job: Catching plastic in the sea

Fishermen will be paid to catch plastic, rather than fish, under bold plans from the EU's fisheries chief aimed at providing fleets with an alternative income to reduce pressure on dwindling fish stocks.

Maria Damanaki, commissioner for fisheries, will unveil a trial project, in the Mediterranean this month. Fishermen equipped with nets will round up the plastic detritus that is threatening marine life and send it for recycling.

The move is intended as a sweetener to fishermen who have opposed the European commission's plans to ban the wasteful practice of discarding edible fish at sea; fleets fear losing money by not being able to discard lower-value catch.

Damanaki has vowed to press on with her plan to eliminate discards, citing the strength of public opinion on the issue, whipped up in large part by the Fish Fight campaign waged by the food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Two-thirds of fish caught in some areas is thrown back, usually dead, because fleets exceed their quota, unintentionally catch juveniles or species for which they lack a quota, or because higher value fish are made a priority and lesser species are thrown away. About 1m tonnes are thrown back each year in the North Sea alone.

"Ending this practice of throwing away edible fish is in the interest of fishermen and consumers," Damanaki said. "It has to happen, we cannot have consumers afraid to eat fish because they hate this problem of discards. People [in the fishing industry] feel insecure, because this is a change. That is why they need incentives."

Fishermen who clear plastic will be subsidised initially by EU member states, but in future the scheme could turn into a self-sustaining profitable enterprise, as fleets cash in on the increasing value of recycled plastics. Cleaning up the rubbish will also improve the prospects for fish, seabirds and other marine species, which frequently choke or suffer internal damage from ingesting small pieces of non-biodegradable packaging.

The opposition Damanaki faces over her proposals on discards was evident in Brussels this week when fishing representatives attacked the plan. One said: "The consequence of this will be a much, much, smaller fleet." An alternative touted by some member states is to make phasing out of discards voluntary. Damanaki rejected this. "We have been talking about discards for more than a decade. Now we need radical reform. Time is running out," she said. Damanaki has the support of several member states, including the UK.

(c) 2011 Guardian Newspapers Limited.

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