Scottish fishos clean up

Fishing vessels in Scotland have voluntarily removed more than 600 hundred tonnes of marine litter from Scotland’s seas and landed it in participating ports, the equivalent of bringing more than 35 million empty drink cans ashore.

The litter originates from a number of sources, including a significant amount from the general public, and much of it is plastic that, if left in the sea, would spend many, many years in the environment slowly breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces that are potentially affecting the marine food chain.

The Fishing For Litter project was introduced to Scottish waters by KIMO UK, an organisation based in Aberdeenshire, in 2005.

It encourages skippers of fishing vessels to land litter they catch in their nets during their normal fishing activities. KIMO UK Chair Councillor Len Scoullar of Argyll and Bute Council said: "I am delighted that the project continues to tackle the issue of litter at sea by permanently removing it for responsible disposal, thus making it more enjoyable and productive for all who use it."

Fishing For Litter project co-ordinator Tom Piper said: "I would like to thank all the participants who make the project such a success and continue to improve the quality of our seas. I would encourage more vessels to contact me and sign up to the scheme."

Surely Australia could learn from this and provide our fishermen with some incentive to bring rubbish back to shore for disposal. It would not only benefit the marine enviroment and keep it healthy for future generations but would also keep our shorelines free of litter.