An initiative which has removed 2,000 tonnes of rubbish from the sea since its launch is marking its 20th year.
The organisers behind the ‘Fishing for Litter’ initiative, which started in Scotland in 2005, have issued a plea for more volunteer fishermen and harbours to sign up to the scheme.
Golf balls, Christmas trees and plastic vapes are just some of the items fishermen are regularly finding in their catch.
Donald Anderson has been part of the scheme since it started.
He told STV News: “I often find items wrapped around my ropes or that have rolled into my creels.
“I took part in the scheme with my bigger boat and thought I would find less in my smaller vessel, but the problem is still there.
STV NewsPlea for more fishermen to join Fishing for Litter STV News
“People discard so much rubbish on the roads, and if it just lies there. It will eventually get washed into the sea when there’s heavy rain.
“When you take up mud on the bottom of the creel, you sometimes see small bits of plastics that have worn down over time and are sitting on the seabed.”
According to Fishing for Litter, around 80% of the rubbish that ends up in the sea comes from the land, polluting the water and species that live there.
Plastic items make up most of what fishermen are finding, with some rather unlikely suspects too – fishermen say forklifts and tins of paint are amongst the items they sometimes find.
The number of fishermen taking part in the voluntary scheme has doubled over the last five years.
Nearly 500 have signed up to the scheme at more than 30 ports and harbours, with more than 2,000 tonnes of litter removed since the programme started in 2005.
STV NewsProject co-ordinator Julia Cant STV News
Julia Cant from Fishing for Litter said: “The fishermen are collecting any form of marine litter; we basically provide different sizes of bags to fishermen and the skips free of charge.
“When the litter comes onshore, we’re working with local ports and harbours to dispose of it.
“We’re trying to remove the financial barriers associated with removing and disposing of waste, and we’re increasingly looking at how we can recycle more of the items that are coming onshore.”
Fishing skipper Garry Hepburn signed up to the scheme 17 years ago.
He said: “We were initially sceptical about it, but the areas we fish in do now seem cleaner, which is good for the sea and for us.
“Litter can spoil our catch, for example if you haul up a tin of paint in the nets and it spills those fish are gone, rubbish can also tear our nets.
“In January, you’d be really surprised with the amount of Christmas trees, sometimes even with lights still on that we find!”
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