There are no global estimates of the amount of plastic waste generated by the fisheries and aquaculture sector (FAO, 2017). Nevertheless, it is estimated that in the European Economic Area (EEA) losses are in the order of 3,000 to 41,000 tonnes of aquaculture waste per annum, and total stocks of debris already present in the ocean may be in the order of 95,000 to 655,000 tonnes from aquaculture (Sherrington et al., 2016). ‘Identifying the options to address key waste items from the fishing industry and aquaculture which could contribute to marine litter, and implement pilot projects where appropriate (including deposit schemes, voluntary agreements and end-of-life recovery)’ is a priority action at global level included in the G7 Action Plan on Marine Litter (2015). This crucial need is subsequently translated into action plans at European, regional and national level. The AQUA-LIT report ‘Available Tools and Measures’ gives an overview of the global, regional, European and national action plans and documents that contain measures to reduce or avoid marine litter from the aquaculture sector. Not only measures, but also needs, research gaps, actions and strategies are included. These measures are discussed in relation to their specific target group. It is important to note that only the measures and actions related to the aquaculture sector are included in this report. This report shows that marine litter is currently high on the political agenda. The global and European framework for the prevention and management of marine debris exists, but needs to be further translated into implemented tailor-made actions and measures depending on the source of marine debris. The results indicate that the necessary knowledge base to take policy actions and effective measures is currently largely lacking. This certainly applies to the aquaculture sector as a source of marine litter. This knowledge is indisputably necessary in order to implement clear policy actions and effective measures to prevent leakage of litter during aquaculture activities. This report, together with the report D2.2 'Knowledge wave on marine litter from aquaculture sources', forms the knowledge base for the AQUA-LIT workshops ’Learning Labs’. These Learning Labs will provide a forum for the face to face work with the aquaculture farmers, gear producers, ports staff, waste management, policy makers and other relevant stakeholders in the aquaculture sector. |
