Fishing debris not only originates from local sources, but from different areas in UK waters such as North Wales, Isle of Man, and also from Irish waters.
Pinpointing the specific origins of litter is extremely difficult and research is underway by various organisations to tackle the issue of dumping at sea.
It is illegal to dispose of garbage, plastic, waste oil, sewage or any toxic substance at sea.
The following guidelines can help avoid many problems:
Don't...
- dump garbage or plastics at sea
- dump damaged fishing gear at sea
- dump oil at sea
- dump sewage at sea
- dump toxic substances at sea
- use detergents or hoses to deal with spill
Garbage and plastics
Do...
- remove excess packaging before leaving home
- arrange sufficient and secure storage on board for wastes
- rinse tins and plastic containers to avoid them becoming smelly
- separate wastes for recycling ashore
Sewage
- Fit a sewage holding tank in your boat
- Use shore side facilities whenever possible
Antifouling
When cleaning down hulls, use a scrub-off facility that collects run-off residues thus presenting toxic dust or scrapings entering the sea
Oils and oily wastes
- Use absorbent pads to soak up oil in bilges and place a drip tray under the engine
- Take waste oil ashore in secure containers for safe disposal into shore side facilities
- Avoid spillage into the sea when refuelling, do not overfill your tank
- When servicing the engine, ensure that used oil is collected and taken to an oil-recycling bank
- Remember used oil is very difficult to recycle when mixed with other materials, such as paints and solvents
The benefits of appropriate facilities on land far outweigh the negative impact to marine life, the environment and human health from dumping at sea - together with incurred costs from damage to boats and equipment from marine debris.
The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. It is a combination of two treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by amendments through the years.
Further information can be obtained from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) website.