November 21st marked the United Nations' World Fisheries Day. The Fishermen's Rights and Environmental Sustainability Center (FRESC) held a press conference to announce its record of marine waste recovery near the coast of Yunlin and Chiayi. Ten gillnet fishing vessels conducted 504 surveys in the first three quarters of 2023, clearing 313.59 kilograms, or 4,680 pieces, of marine debris. Plastic and fishery waste were the primary components of the waste, accounting for 88% of the total. Of this waste, 86% was oyster strips, a unique marine waste source in the southwestern waters.
Marine debris collected by fishermen while fishing. Image source: Fishermen's Rights and Environmental Sustainability Center
94% of fishing operations result in marine debris.
The Center for Fisheries and Environment, with a grant from the Coast Guard Administration, conducted a one-year pilot project. Ten fishing boats and ten crew members from Taizi Village, Kouhu Township, Yunlin County, conducted a survey from January to September 2023, recording data on marine debris caught with gillnets in coastal waters of Taixi, Sihu, Kouhu, and Dongshi Townships. A total of 504 surveys were conducted. The survey locations were located near oyster sheds, offshore wind farms, the Sixth Naphtha Petrochemical Plant, landfills, and landfill restoration sites.
The results showed that 94% of fishing operations would catch marine debris; 313.59 kilograms of 4,680 pieces of marine debris were removed in 9 months. The garbage was mainly composed of plastic and fishery waste, and there was also a lot of household garbage, such as sneakers, plastic bottles, etc.
Qiu Jingchun, a research assistant at the National Ocean University's Institute of Marine Affairs and Resource Management who participated in the data analysis, said the amount of garbage in the four areas is affected by the number of fishing boats collecting garbage, but on average, Kouhu Township has more marine waste.
There are many oyster shells in the southwest sea area
Among the components of marine waste, 61% are plastics and 27% are fishing gear; among the plastics, 67% are plastic fragments and plastic bags, and 15% are plastic tableware; among the fishing gear, 86% are oyster strips, 6% are fishing nets, and 3% are buoys.
A closer look reveals that oyster noodles were most abundant in Kouhu and Sihu Townships in the first quarter, but declined with the season. Plastic debris and plastic bags increased or remained stable with the season. The opposite pattern was observed in Taixi and Dongshi Townships. Notably, paper production in Kouhu Township increased by 20% in the third quarter.
In the survey, the majority of marine waste was plastic waste and fishing gear, accounting for 88%. Image source: Excerpted from the Yunlin-Chiayi Gillnet Waste Survey Results Briefing.
According to information obtained by the Fisheries and Environmental Protection Center from fishermen, oyster strips are a common marine waste in the southwestern waters, primarily in Kouhu and Dongshi Townships, due to the presence of oyster farms in these areas. From February to April of this year, abnormal mortality rates among juvenile oysters led fishermen to discard the strips, potentially contributing to a high proportion of discarded oyster strips in Kouhu Township during the first quarter. Another possible contributing factor is the three typhoons from late July to early October, which disturbed the sea and brought up debris from the bottom of the ocean.
Fishermen want to participate in public discussions on ocean-related affairs
Liu Wanling, project manager at the Fisheries and Environmental Protection Center, said she learned a lot about the ocean and fishing during discussions with fishermen, including where marine waste comes from. Fishermen often complain, "There's no fish when there's garbage." Li Pingshun, chairman of the Yunlin County Coastal Fishing Vessel Association, said fishermen previously didn't know what marine waste was, but after participating in the project, they realized "the damage marine waste has already done to the ocean...plastic sheets have already been eaten by fish." He also expressed his hope to fully participate in public discussions on ocean and fishery issues.
Zhong Hanshu, Director of the Fisheries and Environmental Protection Center, stated that they were initially concerned about the fishermen's acceptance of the plan, but they also hoped to gain public support through various means. The most challenging aspect of implementing the plan was the added workload of having to sort and record the types of garbage amidst their busy schedules. This was perceived as cumbersome and led to resistance from the fishermen, and the Fisheries and Environmental Protection Center spent considerable time working with them. He also noted that the pilot program only conducted three quarters of surveys, and expressed hope that the program could be repeated with a full four-season survey.
Source: Environmental Information Centre
