Article

The incentive program for fishermen to collect marine debris in Korea

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Abstract

A significant amount of sea-based marine debris is generated and deposited in Korean coastal waters. The Korean government has removed 66,000 tons of deposited marine debris since 1999. However, to fully address the problem, the generation of marine debris needs to be prevented. As an alternative, Korean government has initiated an incentive program for fishermen, who collect fishing gear or other marine debris while fishing. Although a considerable amount of marine debris is collected and removed from major fishing grounds, the program may not incentivize long-term sustainable behavior, resulting in further discarding of marine debris when the program is completed.

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... Another major cause is the inadequacy of garbage reception facilities (GRF) at port [11][12]. The scarcity of GRF discourages ship operators from bringing garbage back to port for disposal [13][14]. As a result, monitoring and providing an adequate GRF become the substantial obligation of every port around the world [12,[15][16][17][18]. ...
... This paper contributes to the work of practitioners by developing an econometric model for estimating the amount of ship-generated operational waste at GRF. In addition, the paper fills an academic gap by formulating a mathematical model to explain the relationship between the variables, a problem which has not been addressed in the previous literature [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The aforementioned association was analyzed by the multiple regression with ordinary least square technique (OLS). ...
... .068 x 14 .000 .001 ...
Article
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Marine pollution prevention through adequate provision of garbage reception facility (GRF) is a legal obligation of every port. According to MARPOL 73/78, each port authority should explore ways to increase its ability to prevent marine pollution from ship-generated waste. The paper supports this legal requirement by developing an econometric model for estimating the amount of operational waste delivered at GRF. The multiple regression with ordinary least squares technique was used to analyze the relationship between the amount of operational waste per month and two explanatory variables – size of ship and travelling distance from the last port of discharge. Data from 2008 to 2014 were obtained from the Port Authority of Thailand. Over-all, the adjusted model fits reasonably well with the dataset and all assumptions are satisfied, implying that the estimated coefficients are more practicable to be used by port authority. It is found that, over the past decades, GRF has been provided sufficiently in comparison with the demand. However, the physical adequacy of GRF should be paid special attention during the consideration of phase-3 construction of Laem Chabang Port due to the dramatic growth of the amount of operational waste resulting from an expected rapid increase in maritime traffic.
... Evidence about the tonnage collected through FFL and similar schemes has been documented (e.g. Cho, 2005Cho, , 2009KIMO, 2014;Van Breusegem et al., 2015), but little is known about the co-benefits of the scheme: It is currently not known if FFL has additional impacts beyond removing litter from the sea, specifically effects on the participating fishers themselves, their perceptions and waste-related behaviors (both at and outside of work). It is also unclear which aspects of the scheme work well and which aspects could be improved. ...
... There has been growing attention on land-based solutions (Hartley et al., 2015;Hidalgo-Ruz and Thiel, 2013;Wyles et al., 2017); however, an important group of stakeholders, commercial fishers, have been under-researched. Fishers play a key role in terms of marine litter, as they can easily add to it (e.g. through loss of gear leading to ghost-fishing, discarding household waste whilst out at sea; Veiga et al., 2016) but can also help address it (they uniquely work in remote areas of the oceans, enabling them to access marine litter that would otherwise be neglected; Cho, 2009Cho, , 2011. Consequently, several schemes have been devised to engage this group. ...
... Whilst KIMO's FFL is being monitored in terms of marine litter retrieved (Basurko et al., 2015;Cho, 2009;FFL, 2018aFFL, , 2018b, its wider impacts on the fishers themselves has not been investigated. Thus, assessing fishers' and stakeholders' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors advances our understanding of these types of programs and provides pointers for further development. ...
Article
Marine litter is a global, persistent, and increasing threat to the oceans, and numerous initiatives aim to address this challenge. Fishing For Litter (FFL) is a voluntary clean-up scheme, where litter is collected as part of routine fishing operations. We surveyed fishers (n = 97) and stakeholders (n = 22) in the UK to investigate perceptions of FFL, its strengths and weaknesses, and potential co-benefits of the scheme. Fishers reported being aware of and concerned about the negative impacts of litter. Overall, FFL was evaluated very positively (7.85/10). In addition, FFL fishers reported less environmentally harmful waste management behaviors both out at sea and in other contexts than did non-FFL fishers. Fishers and stakeholders listed strengths and weaknesses of the scheme and made suggestions for future changes. As well as directly helping to remove litter, this paper demonstrates that clean-up schemes can make a contribution to addressing the underlying causes of marine pollution.
... In the FFL initiatives in Europe, the co-operation of the vessels and their crew is voluntary [21]; in South Korea, a similar scheme, in which fishermen were paid to collect the marine debris, was trialled [22]. In 2003, the Korean Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs established the "marine debris buyback programme", which required fishermen to bring the litter collected back to port after fishing. ...
... In 2003, the Korean Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs established the "marine debris buyback programme", which required fishermen to bring the litter collected back to port after fishing. The programme was not only an efficient and cost-effective way to collect marine litter but was also a way to increase the fishermen's awareness of the destructiveness of such litter to the marine environment [22]. Another benefit of the programme was the extra income that the fishermen received. ...
... Based on their national programmes, it appears that all 16 Member States are taking, or plan to take, measures to improve waste management in the fisheries sector with regards to Descriptor 10, which requires that "Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environments". The most common measures noted are beach clean-ups, FFL and communication initiatives [22]. ...
Article
Marine litter represents a transboundary challenge since it originates from manifold sources and travels long distances. Reducing marine litter can involve measures to prevent, mitigate, and remove litter, as well as to change behaviour. So far, the effects of prevention policies have been ineffective, resulting in great amounts of litter at sea and suggesting that removal actions are needed. Between 2014 and 2016, 15 ports in five countries (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece) in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion implemented Fishing for Litter (FFL) pilot projects. The FFL scheme is a clean-up activity that aims to remove marine litter from the seafloor: fishing vessels collect marine litter that is caught in their nets during fishing activities and dispose of it on the quayside. This study investigates the barriers to implementing the FFL scheme in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion. We prioritized the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the pilot projects in each country and compared the Adriatic-Ionian experience with that of the FFL initiatives in progress in Scotland since 2005 to achieve a comparative description and benefit from the lessons learnt. The lack of a comprehensive, holistic approach to marine litter management and an ambiguous bureaucracy with unclear definitions of the responsibilities are the main factors hampering the implementation of the FFL scheme in the Adriatic- Ionian macroregion. However, the increasing number of directives and strategies to address marine litter and the extensive public interest and media coverage represent opportunities to institutionalize the scheme as an effective clean-up strategy in the region.
... Education is another potential tool to prevent pollution from garbage. Those who are not concerned about the marine environment, especially ship masters and crew, should be educated to ensure responsible waste management practice and prevention of dumping of garbage at sea [16][17]. Finally, the last policy is similar to that for shipping, which is to ensure the adequacy of in-port GRF. ...
... To obtain this variable, the practice of GRF management in LCP was intensively reviewed from the documentation of the Port Authority of Thailand and interviews with LCP. In addition, other parameters, namely: monitoring, measuring, pricing [6], opinion, education [16][17], law, regulation [13], competitiveness [12] and navigation limitation [24], were extracted from the literature and modified in accordance with the context of LCP. ...
... The perspective of the ship operator in regard to the marine environment substantially dominates their motivation to use GRF [16][17]24]. It was found that educated ship masters and crews will exhibit self-discipline (E3) to protect the marine environment from negative externalities generated by the ship's operation (E1). ...
Article
Full-text available
Marine garbage reception facilities can effectively prevent marine pollution when adequately implemented together with other management tools. This paper analyzes the garbage management policy based on transactions between shipping companies and the seaport. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to scrutinize the influence of transactional collaboration (independent variable) on the different reasons for using GRF of the shipping firms (dependent variable). The study indicates that the motivations of ship operators (identified as laws and regulations, navigation limitations, partnerships, competitiveness and environmental consciousness), varies depending on frequency of transaction during the year. Management policies varied by ship operator. In addition, an over-optimistic perception of the state of the marine environment appears to prevail among shipping companies. Nevertheless, the majority of respondents reported concerns over the dangers of ship-generated garbage to the environment as well as marine wildlife. This study highlights the need for technical cooperation and greater exchange of knowledge among port authorities, shipping firms and other environmental related institutes.
... Taiwan is the third-largest producer of tuna and a major distant water shing nation, with an annual value of (Cho, 2009). In brief, the government has historically responded to civil society advocacy, particularly in environmental preservation. ...
... However, sheries and other agricultural sectors grew throughout the 1950s (Cho, 2009). Therefore, legislation, regulations, and safety standards were inadequate after growing urbanization, sparking the 1970s "Pollution Protests" (Wilcox et al., 2021). ...
Preprint
Full-text available
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing poses significant threats to marine ecosystems and sustainable fisheries management worldwide. As one of the world's leading fishing nations, Taiwan faces challenges addressing IUU fishing and its environmental impacts. Especially after the EU's yellow card warning was lifted. This research aims to examine the environmental impacts of IUU fishing in Taiwan, explore enforcement challenges and policy responses, and propose future directions for addressing this issue. A systematic review of literature from academic journals, government reports, and international organizations was conducted to analyze the environmental repercussions of IUU fishing in Taiwan, enforcement challenges, and circular economy initiatives. The study reveals that IUU fishing in Taiwan leads to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and economic harm. Enforcement challenges include monitoring vast territorial waters and addressing labor abuses. Circular economy efforts, such as gear marking and buy-back programs, show promise in mitigating environmental impacts. This research concluded that effective enforcement, international collaboration, and promoting circular economy initiatives are essential for addressing IUU fishing's environmental impacts in Taiwan. Future efforts should focus on enhancing enforcement mechanisms, integrating environmental protection with labor rights, and advocating global marine conservation.
... (a) Refusing and reducing the use of plastics and being willing to pay more for bioalternatives (La Fuente et al. 2022) (SDG 12, and a part of sustainable consumption) and assuming the responsibility to deposit waste plastics in designated bins/containers (b) Replacing plastics with bio-alternatives (SDG 12, sustainable production; SDG 9, industrial innovation) (c) Restricting the use of plastics by bans and introducing fees (Senturk and Dumludag 2021) (top-down policy decisions, which may even be based on international agreements, encompassed by SDG 17) (d) Remediating the oceans by recovering the biodiversity-destroying plastic wastes from the hydrosphere (a necessary part of SDG 14-Caruso 2015; Oluniyi Solomon and Palanisami 2016;Auta et al. 2017;Cho 2009) and subsequently harnessing energy from them, as recycling them will be quite challenging (SDG 7, though this energy cannot be deemed to be 'clean', as also mentioned earlier in sub-Sect. 2.7) ...
... Remediating the oceans of the world necessitates global partnership (SDG 17; sub-Sect. 2.16) and innovative responsible initiatives undertaken by governments of countries that have coastlines and economies bolstered by proximity to the oceans/seas (South Korea for instance as gathered from Cho (2009)) and by non-governmental organisations (Plastics News 2021). ...
Chapter
The impact of the interaction between socio-economic and political processes with natural ecosystems and the built environment has been well captured by the urban metabolism framework in recent decades. In this concept, cities are equated to living organisms in terms of the consumption of natural resources and the excretion of waste products. This concept refers to cities as biological entities having internal processes continuously exchange matter and energy with their surrounding environment in order to grow. The growth pattern induced by metabolic processes may be uneven spatially and socio-economically. Master plans were prepared by the concerned authorities to control such uneven development. However, as these metabolic processes diverged, the impact was on natural resources such as vegetation, temperature, and water bodies. This chapter analyzes the changes that are seen in vegetation patterns in Bengaluru. The results showed that the metabolic processes of the city transformed vegetation to a large extent spatially. There was either a shrinking or proliferation of green cover converting the indigenous greenery to fast-growing varieties during different phases of urbanization. Resource-intensive lawns became important in corporate and residential landscaping. Finally, these changes in vegetation invariably affected temperature patterns, also showing an interconnection between these natural elements.KeywordsIT phaseLawnsSpatialUnevenUrban metabolismVegetation
... (a) Refusing and reducing the use of plastics and being willing to pay more for bioalternatives (La Fuente et al. 2022) (SDG 12, and a part of sustainable consumption) and assuming the responsibility to deposit waste plastics in designated bins/containers (b) Replacing plastics with bio-alternatives (SDG 12, sustainable production; SDG 9, industrial innovation) (c) Restricting the use of plastics by bans and introducing fees (Senturk and Dumludag 2021) (top-down policy decisions, which may even be based on international agreements, encompassed by SDG 17) (d) Remediating the oceans by recovering the biodiversity-destroying plastic wastes from the hydrosphere (a necessary part of SDG 14-Caruso 2015; Oluniyi Solomon and Palanisami 2016;Auta et al. 2017;Cho 2009) and subsequently harnessing energy from them, as recycling them will be quite challenging (SDG 7, though this energy cannot be deemed to be 'clean', as also mentioned earlier in sub-Sect. 2.7) ...
... Remediating the oceans of the world necessitates global partnership (SDG 17; sub-Sect. 2.16) and innovative responsible initiatives undertaken by governments of countries that have coastlines and economies bolstered by proximity to the oceans/seas (South Korea for instance as gathered from Cho (2009)) and by non-governmental organisations (Plastics News 2021). ...
Chapter
Abstract Waste management has evolved from the earlier five-step hierarchy to include many more R’s—reclaim, repurpose, remediate, renovate, replenish, revere nature, being a few of them. It can play a key role in the alleviation of, and the simultaneous adaptation to the repercussions of climate change. Waste valorisation, which is gradually entrenching itself, in both principle and practice, can go a long way in directly and indirectly enabling humankind to get closer to several sustainable development goals (SDGs) targets and perhaps overachieve in some respects. Value creation by adopting the R’s wherever, however, whenever and by whosoever possible, is a sine qua non for achieving the SDGs by year-2030 and continuing in the same vein thereafter, when the world will have to grapple more perceptibly with the repercussions of climate change. It is clear that we cannot avert climate change now. We can, at best, alleviate the intensity of its repercussions, though unfortunately not uniformly all over the world. This chapter posits waste management (urban and otherwise) in the scheme of things related to the sustainable development goals (SDGs), as both enablers and enabled. The exposition introduces readers to the multi-dimensionality of sustainable development, and thereby efficient, value-generating waste management in a circular economy/bio-economy
... Apart from the adequate provision of garbage reception facility (GRF), the additional managerial measures and tools are still required for seaports because it was explored that laws and regulations, which are the major tools of IMO, were ignored by many ship operators; they intended to illegally dump ship-generated garbage into the ocean (Horsman, 1982;Olson, 1994;Cho, 2009;Chen and Liu, 2013). On the one hand, IMO has launched a series of conventions and guidelines in order to solve this problem; for example, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL convention) (International Maritime Organization, 2002), the guidelines for ensuring the adequacy of port waste reception facilities (International Maritime Organization, 2000) and the guidelines for the implementation of MARPOL Annex V (International Maritime Organization, 2012). ...
... On the one hand, IMO has launched a series of conventions and guidelines in order to solve this problem; for example, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL convention) (International Maritime Organization, 2002), the guidelines for ensuring the adequacy of port waste reception facilities (International Maritime Organization, 2000) and the guidelines for the implementation of MARPOL Annex V (International Maritime Organization, 2012). In addition, several scholars took a great effort in developing means for coping with pollution from sea transportation such as Cho (2009) and Chen and Liu (2013) who recommended implementing the incentive scheme, education and use of recyclable items in order to lessen the unlawful discharge of garbage into the sea. Contrarily, Lam and Notteboom (2014) argued that by monitoring, measuring as well as a discount of green tariff can persuade the shipping lines to diminish the pollution, especially GHG emission from vessels, from their fleet. ...
Article
Full-text available
The success of marine pollution prevention relies on several managerial tools and knowledge from the interdisciplinary sciences. As the critical source of pollution, seaports need a variety of policies and practices for enhancing their environmental performance. This paper contributes the existing literature and the implementation by analyzing the season of operational waste from maritime transportation. The seasonal regression analysis (SRA) was performed by using the data from Port Authority of Thailand. The adjusted model provides a greater statistics for identifying the seasons than that of the original model which was impaired by the obsolete information. To ensure the correctness of the finding, the result of SRA was compared with the seasonal index, goodness-of-fit measure and model error obtained from times series analysis. The conclusion was mutually agreed by two approaches indicating the reliability of the research finding. As the vacillation of operational waste depends on time, port authority should pay a close attention during the high season. Thanks to the enormous amount of operational waste, the monitoring of ship and marine environment should be strictly implemented. However, the pollution-related concern can be alleviated during the interval of the low season due to the scarce demand for discharging operational waste at the port.
... The basic principles behind MBIs include the polluter pays principle, the user/beneficiary pays principle and the principle of full cost recovery. Market-based instruments such as container deposit schemes (Schuyler et al., 2018) or cash back for nets in Korea (Cho, 2009) have been used effectively to reduce plastic pollution (see Local Governance section above). However, in many cases solutions to the plastic pollution crisis have been used by industry as corporate greenwashing and more needs to be done to explore the cause of waste which is overconsumption (Stafford and Jones, 2019). ...
Chapter
Marine plastic pollution has increased exponentially despite global recognition of its impact on the environment. This chapter examines the extent of the problem and then explores the governance and socio-ecological aspects of marine plastics pollution in coastal and marine environments. We argue that well designed and implemented governance arrangements can bridge the gap between science and policy. Holistic, integrated approaches that include key stakeholders such as governments, industry, civil society, and communities are integral to successful future governance. We offer suggestions for ways forward on how to reduce plastic production and consumption to save our marine and coastal environments.
... The basic principles behind MBIs include the polluter pays principle, the user/beneficiary pays principle and the principle of full cost recovery. Market-based instruments such as container deposit schemes (Schuyler et al., 2018) or cash back for nets in Korea (Cho, 2009) have been used effectively to reduce plastic pollution (see Local Governance section above). However, in many cases solutions to the plastic pollution crisis have been used by industry as corporate greenwashing and more needs to be done to explore the cause of waste which is overconsumption (Stafford and Jones, 2019). ...
... Initiatives that involve fishermen to collect macro-litter are relatively low-cost and efficient, at least considering exclusively fishing grounds, even though several difficulties arise in their execution and implementation (Cho, 2009;Ronchi et al., 2019;Viejo et al., 2023). The effective reduction of marine litter' contamination should begin with a cap on the production, especially of hazardous materials like plastic (Bergmann et al., 2022). ...
Article
Full-text available
The progressive increase of marine macro-litter on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea is an urgent problem that needs accurate information and guidance to identify those areas most at risk of accumulation. In the absence of dedicated monitoring programs, an important source of opportunistic data is fishery-independent monitoring campaigns of demersal resources. These data have long been used but not yet extensively. In this paper, MEDiterranean International Trawl Survey (MEDITS) data was supplemented with 18 layers of information related to major environmental (e.g. depth, sea water and wind velocity, sea waves) and anthropogenic (e.g. river inputs, shipping lanes, urban areas and ports, fishing effort) forcings that influence seafloor macro-litter distribution. The Random Forest (RF), a machine learning approach, was applied to: i) model the distribution of several litter categories at a high spatial resolution (i.e. 1 km2); ii) identify major accumulation hot spots and their temporal trends. Results indicate that RF is a very effective approach to model the distribution of marine macro-litter and provides a consistent picture of the heterogeneous distribution of different macro-litter categories. The most critical situation in the study area was observed in the north-eastern part of the western basin. In addition, the combined analysis of weight and density data identified a tendency for lighter items to accumulate in areas (such as the northern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea) with more stagnant currents. This approach, based on georeferenced information widely available in public databases, seems a natural candidate to be applied in other basins as a support and complement tool to field monitoring activities and strategies for protection and remediation of the most impacted areas.
... Initiatives that involve fishermen to collect macro-litter are relatively low-cost and efficient, at least considering exclusively fishing grounds, even though several difficulties arise in their execution and implementation (Cho, 2009;Ronchi et al., 2019;Viejo et al., 2023). The effective reduction of marine litter' contamination should begin with a cap on the production, especially of hazardous materials like plastic (Bergmann et al., 2022). ...
... There are several references to the use of government financial incentives to mitigate impacts of ALDFG (including the role of BFG to address ghost fishing). For example, Cho (2009) discusses incentive schemes for ALDFG removal with different rates paid for the type and volume of gear retrieved. Kim et al. (2014b) discuss the need for financial incentives to stimulate BFG use (and the importance of public education to emphasise the need to address gear discarding at sea). ...
Article
Full-text available
We address the economic impacts of the role of Biodegradable Fishing Gear (BFG) as a mitigation measure for the ghost fishing impact of lost fishing gear, through scenarios based on industry interviews. We find that the use of BFG is a technical challenge and not an economic problem. The majority of costs to fishermen in terms of BFG use are not related to investment and maintenance costs rather the impact of reduced fishing efficiency. At the Channel static gear fishery level, we estimate the costs of implementing BFG to be as high as £8 million. If the issue of fishing efficiency was resolved (i.e. BFG was a like-for-like) then the large negative costs could be overturned to between a cost of £880,000 and a small positive benefit of around £150,000. Considering the negative environmental impacts of lost gear, the benefits of BFG use over traditional fishing gear would grow exponentially.
... The only current benthic plastic removal schemes are those that either focus on derelict fishing gear or engage with the fishing community to retain any benthic debris they catch. Examples of these schemes are 'Fishing for litter' 159 , Bay of Fundy removal, and active fishing gear removal in Korea 160 . These all have a local or regional focus. ...
Technical Report
It presents an assessment of the feasibility of removing plastics from the oceans in large quantities, and identifies the challenges that must be overcome to create an environmentally, economically, and legally workable system for removal of ocean plastics. It also suggests possible next steps towards achieving such a removal system. This report does not present new work, but is based on a thorough assessment of scientific and other literature.
... According to Richardson et al. [42], waste dumped overboard from purse seine and longline fishing vessels is a major contributor to marine pollution in the Western and Central Pacific oceans. Similarly, 20 % of total marine debris (23,900 t) was contributed by fishing vessels in Korea, highlighting the importance of fishing vessels in marine pollution [5]. Given that the lack of waste collection facility was the primary reason for discard and that 3/4 of respondents were willing to co-operate in proper debris disposal if waste collection infrastructure is provided, putting adequate debris collection mechanisms in place can prove to be the most beneficial intervention in reducing fishing sector's debris input into the marine environment. ...
... During training activities, fishermen communicate to increase knowledge regarding ALDFG prevention, share gear entanglement resolution cases, and directly dispel fishers' doubts [36]. Researchers still suggest that several measures can be taken to alleviate the problem of ALDFG, including fishermen experimenting with marine debris recycling, installing appropriate PRF equipment, encouraging environmental education, promoting the recovery of lost fishing gear, encouraging the use of environmentally friendly fishing gear, and promoting fishery ground management to reduce conflict and improve gear marking [2,[56][57][58][59]. For both factors, P2 and P1, mandatory and regulatory fishing gear marking is a welcome measure that the government will lead. ...
Article
Full-text available
A biodiversity survey on three corallivorous snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) was performed at 28 sites around the island of Bonaire to assess their distribution patterns and associated host corals. The snails and their hosts were identified and counted in three depth zones: 5–10, 10–20, and 20–30 m. The snails were Coralliophila galea and C. salebrosa (Muricidae: Coralliophilinae), and Cyphoma gibbosum (Ovulidae: Simniinae). All three species were widespread around the island without apparent interspecific geographical variation. Coralliophila galea was found exclusively on scleractinian corals, Coralliophila salebrosa almost exclusively on octocorals, and Cyphoma gibbosum only on octocorals. Coralliophila salebrosa showed more dietary overlap with Cyphoma gibbosum than with Coralliophila galea. Coralliophila galea was the most commonly encountered species with the largest number of host species. Owing to its hosts distribution, this species also showed a greater maximum depth and a wider bathymetrical range than the other two snails. The other two snails were shallower and their depth ranges did not differ significantly. Host-coral size did not seem to have influence on the number of snails per host. Coral damage caused by the snails was visible but appeared to be low, causing no mortality in Bonaire, which suggests that the relation with their hosts is more parasitic than predatory. Because these three corallivores have occasionally been reported to occur as outbreaks in other Caribbean localities and may act as vectors in the dispersal of coral diseases, it is recommended that future studies should focus on their population dynamics.
... During training activities, fishermen communicate to increase knowledge regarding ALDFG prevention, share gear entanglement resolution cases, and directly dispel fishers' doubts [36]. Researchers still suggest that several measures can be taken to alleviate the problem of ALDFG, including fishermen experimenting with marine debris recycling, installing appropriate PRF equipment, encouraging environmental education, promoting the recovery of lost fishing gear, encouraging the use of environmentally friendly fishing gear, and promoting fishery ground management to reduce conflict and improve gear marking [2,[56][57][58][59]. For both factors, P2 and P1, mandatory and regulatory fishing gear marking is a welcome measure that the government will lead. ...
Article
Full-text available
Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) and ghost fishing are becoming increasingly severe, hurting marine ecology and inspiring worldwide concern. The Global Ghost Gears Initiative (GGGI) is committed to building a best practice framework for the management of fishing gear and believes that proper and systematic marking of fishing gear will help mitigate the impacts of ALDFG and ghost fishing. However, the mandatory marking of gear for fishery management, without considering the geographical characteristics of each region, could lead to confrontations between the government and the industry. This study used ranking, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and interviews to obtain the opinions of different groups regarding the choices and preferences of stakeholders in the assessed factors of taking action to prevent ALDFG and reduce the harm caused by ghost fishing. The results show that the factors “B2, Informing and counseling”, “P2, Fishing gear marking”, and “P1, Regulation” had consensus and were valued by each group. In contrast, “P3, Announcing the location”, “R1, Equipment for boat recovery”, and “R5, Environmental label” were not yet in line with the custom of gillnet fisheries in Taiwan. These results can accelerate the integration of opinions, consider appropriate compromise solutions, and coordinate ideas among different groups to implement reasonable and efficient fishing gear marking management measures.
... Another way to reduce ghost fishing is by promoting the use of gear marking, which can reduce the chance of loss and facilitate the recovery of fishing gear (NOAA Marine Debris Program, 2015). Another solution that is often proposed is to provide of disposal facilities that are affordable for fisherfolk, as well as incentives to encourage proper disposal (Cho, 2009;NOAA Marine Debris Program, 2015). Recently, an innovative solution is the development of biodegradable fishnets (FAO, 2016). ...
... Regular monitoring and removal of debris can improve shoreline habitats, reduce risks to wildlife, and can provide useful information on litter composition trends and the impact of measures to reduce marine litter (such as plastic bag bans and fishery-related debris restrictions and incentives) (Lovett et al., 2007;Cho, 2009;Ribic et al., 2010;Blickley et al., 2016;McLaughlin et al., 2022). Information on the density of macro-debris items on shorelines can be helpful to describe spatial or temporal trends but may not be sufficient in a riskassessment context. ...
Article
Full-text available
Accumulation of anthropogenic marine debris on shorelines is an issue of global concern, even impacting areas that are remote, uninhabited, or have protected area status. On islands in Southern California, USA, within the boundaries of a National Park and National Marine Sanctuary, we collected macro-debris on beaches and assessed micro-debris in beach sediment seasonally between 2016-2020. Macro-debris (>5mm) was collected from seven beaches on two California Channel Islands and two sites on the mainland. We assessed both the number of items collected and total mass of debris. Composition of macro-debris items was dominated by plastics, particularly fragmented hard and foamed plastics and food packaging. A substantial quantity of lost or discarded fishing gear was collected, with the most fishery-related debris found at sites with historically highest spiny lobster fishing effort. The initial density of debris items ranged from 0.01-0.13 items m⁻² and the initial density of debris mass ranged from 0.01-0.02 kg m⁻². Mean accumulation rates of debris were strongly site-dependent and ranged from 0.03-0.34 items m⁻² yr⁻¹ and 0.01-0.05 kg m⁻² yr⁻¹, and tended to be highest in the fall and winter months. Anthropogenic micro-debris (<5mm) was found in beach sediment at all sites. Micro-debris had no statistically significant relationship with accumulation rates of total macro-debris items, or plastic macro-debris items. There were, however, statistically significant relationships between accumulation rates of total macro-debris mass and plastic macro-debris mass. We compared the rate of accumulation of fishing debris items and mass during the lobster season (October-March) for the years 2017 to 2020. The accumulation of fishery-related debris differed significantly among sites, with apparent declines over time, likely reflecting declining effort in the fishery and trap-limit regulations implemented in the 2017-2018 season. Our assessment of marine debris accumulation on California Channel Island beaches has provided detailed information on the types of debris and patterns of accumulation. Unfortunately, remoteness from direct human impact and protected-area status does not protect these habitats against the onslaught of marine litter. Assessments of marine debris are critical to identify sources, to inform policy and to support efforts to reduce the impact of marine litter on vital coastal ecosystems.
... To deal with this, synergy with fishermen is needed. There is no need to build a new marine debris collection ship, if fishermen are also involved in the clean up of the marine debris (Cho 2009). By using digital applications, it is possible for fishermen, government and waste processing companies to connect each other (Sugianto and Chen 2021). ...
Article
This study systematically reviews concepts, tools, and systems to assess the effective and efficient idea of cleaning technology for marine debris. The review done in the past and current state of technology related to marine debris, including management issues, all falls under this category. Then, an evaluation method is proposed to assess concepts, tools, and strategies in collecting marine debris. Data were obtained from peer-review articles through bibliometric analysis. The most number occurred in the year range of 2016–2021. The highest number found were patents, scientific reports, existing, and concepts, respectively. Then, data were clustered based on tools aims, tools type, floating platform type, and location. The first layer of assessment is the availability of basic marine debris cleaning technology capabilities. The second layer evaluates marine debris cleaning technology in carrying out its function to clean the sea. The first layer results showed that less than 20% provide facilities for marine debris processing, estimate the density of the marine debris, and determine marine debris location. At the same time, more than 82.5% provide facilities to load debris onto ships and collect it. The effective parameters in the second layer showed that less than 30% scored high in terms of cleanliness and 50% in speed of collecting marine debris, but more than 80% have high scores in user friendly. Next, efficient parameters result showed that 30% devices have high score in terms of cheap manufacturing cost and 17.5% in terms of cheap operation cost.
... The clean-up of ALDFG from the ocean is a time-consuming and expensive process that demands the employment of skilled personnel and advanced technology (NOAA 2015;Uhrin 2016). However, a more cost-effective and efficient strategy for assessing and managing ALDFG has been devised with the involvement of fishermen and women (Cho 2009;Goodman et al. 2021). For instance, projects like the Kerala government's Suchitwa Sagaram mission, in which fishermen and women collect litter caught during fishing operations, can help reduce ALDFG build-up in the region (Thomas et al. 2018). ...
Article
Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is rapidly becoming a major global environmental problem. In the present study, a survey of 390 fishermen operating ten different types of fishing gear was conducted, to get a quantitative estimate of ALDFG generated in the fishing intense coastal state of India (Kerala). On average, the total gear loss from 10 selected marine fishing gears operated in Kerala was estimated to be 167.5 ± 251.7 kg.vessel−1 year−1. Fishing crews reported that each year, 11.6% of the total gear used is lost, 7.5% is abandoned, and 2.3% is discarded. There was significant variation in the ALDFG incurred regarding different types of fishing gears. Motorized large mesh ring seine recorded the highest gear loss (35.5%), followed by motorized small mesh ring seine (29.7%), mini trawl (27.4%), trammel net (24.4%), motorized gillnet (18.75%), non-motorized gillnet (16.3%), small trawl (14.6%), large trawl (12.07%), medium trawl (11.25%) and shore seine (0.32%). The ALDFG estimates and associated trends worked out in the current study can assist filling in data gaps about fishing gear loss and aid in the design of strategies to manage marine debris from the fishing industry.
... The study enables stakeholders to identify ALDFG mitigation approaches that match their local context, so that interventions address the fisheryspecific causes of abandonment, loss and discarding of gear and are viable within the context of the local fisheries' governance and socioeconomic enabling conditions [101,160]. Previous studies identified causes of derelict gear generation [76,121,155,161,162,176,179] and identified and trialed derelict gear mitigation methods [35,74,78,99,120,143]. This study builds on this accumulated body of knowledge by integrating underlying drivers for the production of ALDFG and interventions relevant to specific causes. ...
Article
Full-text available
There has been increasing recognition of the need to address adverse ecological and socioeconomic effects of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). This component of marine debris has been progressively problematic over recent decades with the rapid expansion of global fisheries’ footprint and effort, and the transition to synthetic and more durable materials for gear components. ALDFG drivers and consequences vary substantially by gear type, region, scale and individual fishery within these and other broad categories, including by the robustness of the fisheries management framework and influence of market-based incentives. Therefore, relevant interventions to avoid, minimize and remediate ALDFG depend on the fishery-specific context. This study compiled comprehensive, cross-referenced databases of causes of ALDFG production, and mitigation methods and enabling conditions for effective ALDFG management. Management interventions were categorized within a sequential mitigation hierarchy, where approaches to avoid and minimize ALDFG production and adverse consequences are considered before potentially less effective and more costly interventions for remediation and offsets. The linked databases enable discovery of the most promising ALDFG mitigation methods and priority fisheries management improvements so that a broader range of ALDFG policy interventions can be tapped. Illustrative case studies of ALDFG drivers and interventions were explored for gillnet, pelagic longline, trap and anchored fish aggregating device fisheries. By enabling stakeholders to identify the subset of alternative interventions that are relevant to fishery-specific ALDFG drivers and enabling conditions, the cross-referenced databases guide the allocation of resources to mitigate this especially problematic component of global marine litter.
... While market-based instruments have been used successfully to reduce macroplastic pollution (e.g. Cho, 2009;Hardesty et al., 2014), little progress has occurred with their application in the management of microplastics, just as their ultimate impact on climate change mitigation remains contested. ...
Chapter
Efforts to establish global environmental governance related to marine debris, including revamping the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), establishing new marine ‘areas beyond national jurisdiction’ (ABNJ) regimes (De Santo, 2018), and promulgating a global treaty committing states to reduce plastic usage and waste, are proliferating as we face the stark reality that plastic presence in marine ecosystems presents a variety of increasing threats at the ecosystem level. The observational science is incontrovertible, and policy has been playing catch-up for well over two decades now. Collective adaptation to this crisis will be essential, but the challenge is compounded because the problem cannot be treated in conceptual isolation. Can utilising the widespread concern over plastic abundance as a means to further promote the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss, and threats to human health be seen as an adaptive measure with compounded co-benefits? Would this be a way to enhance the adaptive capacity of concerned governments, and through a process of social learning, educate decision makers and the public about the other crises intertwined in this nexus?
... This argument is of particular relevance for the marine environment, for which very limited knowledge is available and for which many physical constraints exist, such as the rough geomorphology of the seabed and well-known technical difficulties in operating in the deep-sea. Fishing For Litter (FFL) initiatives have been noted as effective and low-cost strategies for removing seafloor macro-litter from oceans, at least from fishing grounds, even though several difficulties arise in their execution and implementation (Cho, 2009;Ronchi et al., 2018). This is due to the wide spatial coverage of trawling activities, often performed in areas where fishermen are the only operators capable of providing this type of social service, nonetheless during their regular working routine. ...
Article
Marine litter is an ever-increasing problem that demands immediate reduction plans and mitigation actions that should act synergically to efficiently meet ambitious goals. Since the seafloor has been recognized as the major sink for marine debris, the study of litter accumulation dynamics represent a fundamental tool to evaluate possible removal actions. We analysed a 7 years (2013–2019) standardized data series collected along Sardinian fishing grounds through MEDiterranean International Trawl Survey, for which estimates of density and weight of seafloor macro-litter were calculated for over 707 hauls. Results show the absence of any temporal trend in seafloor macro-litter density and weight, but rather indicate a spatial and bathymetric segregation of different litter categories. Our data showed how different sources and physical features of macro-litter items (i.e., plastic and fishing gear, rubber, glass, metals, and cloth) led to spatially segregated accumulation hotspots. We also point out here how the identification of seafloor macro-litter hotspots using aggregated data that include plastic items could obscure the identification of other segregated but yet relevant hotspots of other macro-litter categories accumulated in the marine environment. These hotspots often occurred at shallower depths and closer to coastlines, thus representing potential spots where eventual future litter removal action could be prioritized.
... These may include ensuring constraints on the number of fishing licenses or reducing fishing licenses that are granted and/or increasing education, inspection and enforcement (which would reduce overcrowding/overcapacity issues that result in fishing in marginal habitats) (Macfadyen et al., 2009;Richardson et al., 2018). It could also include the implementation and support of port waste facilities and buyback programs which have been shown to reduce fishers throwing old nets (or fragments of nets) overboard and increase gear recovery rates (Cho, 2009;Richardson et al., 2018;Wilcox et al., 2013). Furthermore, gear loss is associated with increased fishing effort in Arafura-Timor Sea region (sensu Richardson et al., 2018). ...
Article
The remote Gulf of Carpentaria (GoC) represents 10% of Australia's coastline. This large, shallow sea supports high-value fishing activities and habitat for threatened species, and is a sink for abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) ‘ghost nets’, most originating from fishing activities outside of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone. With growing concerns about the plastic waste along the world's coastlines, we retrospectively analyzed ghost net sighting information from four aerial surveys across 15 years, to investigate whether densities of ghost nets are changing through time or in space. We found an increase in ghost nets, despite more than a decade of illegal fishing countermeasure and clean-up efforts in the broader region. This demonstrates that the input of ALDFG into the system currently overwhelms the substantial net removal activities. We make recommendations for improving monitoring and consider the underlying drivers of nets being lost to improve ghost gear management on land and at sea.
... There are many removal programmes operating around the world, some focusing on large collections of ghost gear that have accumulated over many years 167,168,169 , and some systematically cleaning fishing areas on a regular basis 170,171 . Some, like the Northwest Straits Foundation's Program in Puget Sound, provide rapid response and removal of newly lost gear (gillnets in this case) 172 . ...
Technical Report
Full-text available
While the unattended consequences of plastic use is finally beginning to receive the attention it warrants, the impacts of ghost gear are less seen and understood. This report demonstrates the scale of the problem at hand, as well as the gaps in existing legal frameworks, highlighting the need for national and international preventive policies and practices.
... Providing monetary incentives to fishers for collection and removal of marine debris has been noted as a potentially low-cost solution supported by the fishing industry, despite failure to promote long-term preventative behavioral change (Cho 2009;Oosterhuis et al., 2014). Alternative management strategies, such as gear recycling programs, use of biodegradable escape mechanisms, or marine spatial planning, have been suggested and may be effective at reducing gear loss and its impacts (Macfadyen et al., 2009;Bilkovic et al., 2016). ...
Article
Derelict fishing gear is a growing concern in many fisheries and coastal communities. Pots and traps are prevalent forms of derelict fishing gear with numerous documented harmful effects. In the Chesapeake Bay, US, a large blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) pot fishery produces high levels of derelict gear. From 2008 to 2014, 34,408 derelict pots were removed from blue crab fishing areas in Virginia. This research first evaluates whether observed increases in catch rates occurring contemporaneously with the removal program were the result of derelict gear removals. An econometric production model is then used to estimate marginal removal benefits and assess optimal removal levels. Fishing locations with removals during the removal program were estimated to have experienced increases in harvest per pot and harvest per trip of 22.35% and 34.68%, respectively. Optimal removal levels were found to depend on location-specific fishing effort, with high-effort areas yielding greater marginal removal benefits. Fishery productivity gains, though large, were found to last only one year following removals. Assuming a removal cost of 100/pot,theoptimallevelofremovalswasestimatedtobeover7000pots/yearandwouldgenerateproductivitygainsof 1718100/pot, the optimal level of removals was estimated to be over 7000 pots/year and would generate productivity gains of ~17–18%, yielding over US 3M in annual net benefits to the commercial fishery. Optimizing mitigation and management strategies for derelict fishing gear and marine debris requires quantitative assessment of the benefits and costs of alternative policy measures.
... Segundo Wiig (2004) e Kiessling (2003, diversas ações são importantes para o gerenciamento de resíduos da pesca como, por exemplo, o diagnóstico dos dados de pesca de uma região; minimização dos processos de perda de rede; retirada de resíduos do ambiente marinho; ações de educação ambiental, entre outras. Na Coreia, um programa municipal adotou a estratégia de recompensar os pescadores que coletam e trazem ao continente o lixo marinho (CHO, 2009 O Paraná apresenta uma política estadual de resíduos sólidos que conta com diferentes fóruns setoriais para tratar e discutir a questão. São eles os Fóruns Setoriais de: materiais orgânicos, pilhas e baterias, rejeitos industriais, rejeitos agrotóxicos, resíduos da construção civil, resíduos da suinocultura, resíduos da saúde e resíduos recicláveis (SEMA, 2003). ...
... Short-term Solutions: legislation ALDFG now only aiming at large scale vessels (>100 gross tonnage) should also aim at smaller ships. paying fishers to remove ALDFG or marine debris for recycling [74]. Long-term solutions: Encouraging preventative approaches and quick recovery of ALDFG [75]. ...
Article
Full-text available
The human attachment to plastic has intensified recently due to its lightweight, versatility, low-cost and durability and so has the damage to the marine environment as marine plastic pollution has correspondingly increased. As a result, there has been increasing concern on the issue of marine plastic pollution. Policy-based organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme have drawn public attention to the scope, magnitude and impacts of marine pollution in recent decades. Research on marine pollution can play a significant role in contributing to policy-making processes in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Life Below Water (SDG 14), by providing scientific analysis on the effects and sources of marine plastic pollution. This paper provides a theoretical and empirical overview of marine plastic pollution and its potential effects on marine ecosystems. It also discusses SDGs that are relevant to marine plastic pollution and suggest priorities for further research.
... With worldwide plastic production reaching 348 million tonnes in 2017, and 335 million tonnes the previous year, with several global challenges such as waste management, it is reasonable to assume that plastic pollution and subsequently microplastics (MPs) in the environment are on the rise (PlasticsEurope, 2018). The vast majority of scientific and traditional media reports increase society's demand for action, which have resulted in worldwide trawling initiatives like Fishing for Litter (BIM, 2015) (KIMO, 2018), where fishing trawlers are encouraged to return any marine litter brought up in their hauls to port with the aim of closing the circular economy loop (Cho, 2009), and therefore reducing the presence of macroplastics in the oceans. Due to their inherently tiny size, > 1 μm and ≤5 mm, MPs can be smaller than the mesh size of all fishing trawls, and therefore it is ineffective to use the same initiative to recover MPs. ...
Article
Plastic pollution is prevalent in all habitats and microplastic ingestion has been recorded in several different species examined to date. However, most studies have focused solely on commercial species. This study investigates microplastics (MPs) by assessing the levels present in a mixed demersal trawl at two sites in a coastal embayment. MPs were recovered from species' gastrointestinal tracts and polymers identified with μFTIR spectroscopic analysis. Particles recovered comprised 20% natural fibres. The majority of MPs were identified as PE, PVDF, and PETE. Results show an average MP range of 0.11-4.67 MPs individual-1. Fluctuating trendlines for MPs within species suggest that their bioavailability is influenced by several factors. Individual species show significant differences in ingested MP between trawls; however, when the entire trawl community is assessed there is no significant difference between sites. These results suggest that future studies should follow an ecosystem-based approach to monitor MPs.
... In another experiment that measured the production and consumption of products that were unfair (i.e., they imposed a monetary cost externality on a third party) and fair (i.e., no externality), people's willingness to inflict externalities (i.e., trade the unfair product) was higher under market conditions when compared with nonmarket conditions (Bartling et al. 2015). Failing to account for increased tolerance of externalities in a conservation context could mean, for example in Conservation Biology Volume 0, No. 0, 2020 fisheries, an increase in the use of destructive gear and fishing practices that compromise long-term sustainability (Cho 2009). However, the body of research on market influences over people's preferences for inflicting externalities is still in its early stages, not all the experimental evidence is conclusive (Kirchler et al. 2016), and questions remain about whether the results from controlled experiments carry over into real life (i.e., external validity). ...
Article
Full-text available
Markets are increasingly being incorporated into many aspects of daily life and are becoming an important part of the conservation solution space. Although market‐based solutions to environmental problems can result in improvements to conservation, a body of social science research highlights how markets may also have unforeseen consequences by crowding out or displacing 3 key types of behaviors potentially relevant to conservation, including people's willingness to engage in collective action and civic duty; tolerance for inflicting harm on others (third‐party externalities); and desire for equity. Better understanding of the contexts and mechanisms through which this crowding out occurs and whether specific market‐based instruments are more prone to different types of crowding out will be crucial to developing novel conservation initiatives that can reduce or prevent crowding out.
... Price-based payments have also been used to reward the right behavior. Two examples are payments to vessels to incentivize discharge before departure (Matthysen and Spolander, 2007;McIlgorm et al., 2011) and reward payments to fishers for the collection of marine litter (Cho, 2009;Ten Brink, 2009). ...
Article
Full-text available
The polluting of marine ecosystems with plastics is both a global and a local problem with potentially severe consequences for wildlife, economic activity, and human health. It is a problem that originates in countries’ inability to adequately manage the growing flow of waste. We use an impact pathway framework to trace the flow of plastics through the socio-ecological system and identify the role of specific policy instruments in achieving behavioral changes to reduce marine plastic waste. We produce a toolbox for finding a policy that is suitable for different countries. We use the impact pathway and toolbox to make country-specific recommendations that reflect the reality in each of the selected countries.
... A number of studies have addressed possible policy and technological solutions. Cho [206] described the generation of sea-based marine debris in South Korean coastal waters and some of the resulting environmental and economic problems. Even though the South Korean government continuously removed marine debris, the generation of marine debris needed to be prevented. ...
Chapter
Plastic pollution has become an increasingly worrying threat to the aquatic environment. The oceans and seas in East Asia are among the world’s most polluted. Therefore, East Asian societies should make concerted efforts to tackle the problem. In this review, we summarize the current state of scientific research about macro- and microplastic contamination of the aquatic environment, including biota, consecutively for four East Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). For the same four countries, we also summarize mitigation efforts to decrease the plastic pollution in these four countries, which includes government policies and waste management; education, media, monitoring, and outreach campaigns by NGOs; and inventors and businesses developing alternative products and methods of production and recycling. This review aims to give an overview which will hopefully inspire a more concerted effort by East Asian governments to support the relevant science but also to tackle the plastic pollution problem with much needed policies and management solutions.
... MD has physical (Goldberg, 1994;Uneputty and Evans, 1997a) and chemical (Nakashima et al., 2012) impacts on the environment, affecting microbial assemblages, biodiversity, and ecosystems (Pawar et al., 2016) as well as economies and human well-being (Butler et al., 2013;Caruso, 2015;Cho, 2009;Siung-Chang, 1997;Thompson et al., 2009). ...
Article
With the status as the world's top contributor of marine plastic debris, Indonesia has committed to reduce marine plastic debris up to 70% in 2025 by establishing the National Action Plan (NAP) on Marine Debris. The high amount of marine plastic debris as a result of transport and accumulation become a complex issue in Indonesia due to its ocean-atmospheric circulation, high population of coastal communities, and marine activities. Based on our findings, there are gap of publications related to marine debris in Indonesia that had been already published. Marine debris is ubiquitous and transboundary, as they were found in marine environment and transported by currents to various direction including uninhabited islands, thus, we propose more comprehensive future research about the impact of marine debris on ecosystem (e.g. biological impact of organisms in the water column, ecological alteration in distribution pattern, and invasive species), human health, and economic loss.
... In Virginia, USA, a 2-year program put commercial crab fishermen to work with side-scan sonar during the off season and collected >18,000 items of DFG (Havens, Bilkovic, Stanhope, & Angstadt, 2011). In the Republic of Korea, the government has created an incentive program for fishermen to help collect DFG over major fishing grounds; however, this may not be a long-term solution (Cho, 2009). ...
... Marine debris has become a global issue and is regarded as a ubiquitous issue in the world's oceans due to its impact on the global environment, economy, and human health [1][2][3][4]. Approximately 60-80% of global litter consists of plastic [5], and 10% of them are dumped into the oceans where the degradation process can take several hundred years. ...
Article
Marine debris becomes a global issue due to its impact to ecosystem, human life, and marine environment. Microplastic is one of the marine debris types that need further attention due to its long term effect in marine life. The aim of the study was to investigate the microplastic transport in Java Sea, Indramayu for seven months period. The result showed that the tidal reversing current was dominant in Java Sea, with average current speed 0.04 – 0.32 m/s. The type of tidal movement in North Indramayu, Java Sea is mixed tide prevailing semi-diurnal. The transport of microplastic has a circular-reversing pattern due to in uences from the currents and waves. According to the result of this study, the start point of microplastics could be estimated ranges in distance 0.9 – 5.4 km from the location where they were sampled seven months later. Microplastic that currently resides in Java Sea allegedly came from South China Sea and Paci c Ocean. The result also indicates that Java Sea has a high probability to become the largest microplastic patch in Indonesia due to its reversing current, which can trap those particles for a long time (7 months microplastics mileage range of 1258.90 km – 1399.88 km), whether they originate from other ocean region or from Indonesia itself.
... The incentive program instituted for collection of marine debris (Cho 2009) illustrates an awareness and focus on environmental sustainability that indicates cultural identity practices that are similarly evident amongst Native American oceanside tribes. Hong (2011) identifies many of these issues and puts forth the information caused by such fast changes in landbase issues, and touches on the cultural aspects by identifying biodiversity in landscape settings, both with human and environmental interconnectedness, as well as resource issues that are being impacted through anthropogenic issues. ...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this research is (1) to study the epistemological meanings of biological diversity and cultural diversity and the connectivity of biocultural diversity and (2) to concretize a plan for making the biocultural diversity, containing the ecological environment and the life culture of the island areas, into knowledge resources. By carrying out onsite investigations, in-depth interviews, and the empirical case example research with the Wando County area of Jeonnam Province as the subject, (3) the possibility of the agenda is presented through the interdisciplinary convergence researches, including but not limited to: biology, anthropology, linguistics, Korean literature, folklore, cultural contents study. As a plan for putting into practice the convergence research, the theoretical foundations, the methodologies of the biological diversity and the cultural diversity of the islands can be systematically established through the research on the biocultural diversity of the islands and the excavation of the agenda. The theoretical foundations, the methodologies of biological diversity, and the cultural diversity of the islands can be systematically established. Through this establishment, the conceptual and the epistemological expansion of the biocultural diversity of the islands through the convergence of biological diversity and cultural diversity will be induced. This convergence research will contribute to the securing of the biological sovereignty and cultural sovereignty of the island people through the biological resources of the islands. Through the research on biocultural diversity of the islands, it will contribute in promotion of awareness on resource security regarding the approach to, and the sharing of, genetic resources in accordance with the biological diversity agreement. In addition, the preservation of biological, and genetic resources of the islands based on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of the island people and direction for sustainable development will be pursued. Groundwork will also be laid for future endeavors, through establishment of Traditional Knowledges (TK), traditional local foods, recipes, and medical folk traditions, all based on the biological diversity. A plan for the resources will be prepared by excavating cultural traditions contained in the information from the biological diversity data along with linguistic diversity information, and through the establishment of an archive through the convergence research.
... The incentive program instituted for collection of marine debris (Cho 2009) illustrates an awareness and focus on environmental sustainability that indicates cultural identity practices that are similarly evident amongst Native American oceanside tribes. Hong (2011) identifies many of these issues and puts forth the information caused by such fast changes in landbase issues, and touches on the cultural aspects by identifying biodiversity in landscape settings, both with human and environmental interconnectedness, as well as resource issues that are being impacted through anthropogenic issues. ...
... Management that incentivizes gear return or provides waste disposal sites locally may also reduce gear loss. In South Korea, a buyback program helps to reduce the 23,900 tons of fishing gear abandoned each year by recovering up to 20% of the gear by weight (Cho 2009). However, management costs money-the Korean program yields 1.2 kg of gear/U.S.$. ...
Article
Full-text available
As human population growth continues, so too does our waste, often with unintended consequences for wildlife. The estimated 640,000 tons of fishing gear lost, abandoned, or discarded annually exerts a large but uncertain impact on marine species. These "ghostnets" drift in the ocean and can fish unattended for decades (ghost fishing), killing huge numbers of commercially valuable or threatened species. We developed an integrated analysis combining physical models of oceanic drift with ecological data on marine turtle species distribution and vulnerability to make quantitative predictions of threat. Using data from beach cleanups and fisheries in northern Australia, we assessed this biodiversity threat in an area where high densities of ghostnets encounter globally threatened turtles. Entanglement risk is well-predicted by our model, as verified by independent strandings data. We identified a number of previously unknown high-risk areas. We are also able to recommend efficient locations for surveillance and interception of abandoned fishing gear. Our work points the way forward for understanding the global threat from marine debris and making predictions that can guide regulation, enforcement, and conservation action.
... Although debris derived from ocean-based or marine sources may originate from commercial shipping, fishing vessels, recreational boats, fish farming, cruise liners, military fleets, research vessels, passenger ferries, offshore oil and gas platforms, and service vessels [6], shipborne garbage information focused on shipping activities is limited [14][15][16][17]. The widely used plastic-based material in the maritime activities especially in fishing equipment gears, ships' operation, and ships' food packaging has been reported to have adverse effects on the marine wildlife through entanglement and ingestion [18,19]. Although accumulation of marine debris can be serious particularly in areas of high maritime traffic or ocean-based activities or circulating ocean currents [6,20,21], there is little information on the relationship between debris from ship and the presence of similar debris on the beaches [16,17,22]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Marine debris is widely distributed at the coastal area of the global oceans; however, shipborne garbage source studies are still lacking to document the pollution in Malaysia Territorial Water. Thus, this study has adopted a standard method of beach marine debris survey at five beaches and inspected 115 vessels to assess the type and amount of debris from shipping source stranded on the beach. This study found that vessel visiting Malaysian ports observed the MARPOL 73/78 Annex V requirements; however, identified objects from shipping activity (1.3%; 2 items/km) found on the beaches indicate that there are vessels disposing of garbage illegally at sea. Therefore, there is a need to promote the use of biodegradable material and introduce environmental education to increase awareness on the vessel.
... For instance, marine debris review for Latin America and the Wider Caribbean Region (Ivar do sul et al., 2007), Monitoring the abundance of plastic debris in the marine environment (Ryan et al., 2009), a review of biodegradation of plastics waste (Gnanavel et al., 2012) and a review of plastic waste biodegradation (Zheng et al., 2005). Other aspects include the incentive program for fishermen to collect marine debris (Cho, 2009), and on North Pacific circulation and associated marine debris concentration (Howell et al., 2012), and so on. ...
Article
Full-text available
Compared with USA, UK, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, etc., marine debris research in China has received less attention and few studies have attempted to quantify the abundance and mass of marine debris. In this paper, the abundance, composition and source of beached marine debris, and debris collection system and frequency as well as dustbins’ conditionwere investigated in Duodaohai, Wanpingkou, Shanhaitian and National Forest Park beaches of Rizhao City from June 1 to 10, 2013. Based on these surveys, following conclusions were obtained: In four coastal beaches surveyed, the mean number and weight densities were 25.91 items/100m2 and 341.39 g/100m2, respectively. Most of the BMD in the aforementioned beaches originated directly from land sources. There were two kinds of debris collection systems in these beaches at present; dustbins sometimes were not enough to be used in the swimming period.We hope that our study will be helpful to raise the level of environmental consciousness among people and to expand their anti-debris activities.
Article
Full-text available
In Argentina, studies dealing with marine debris coastal wetland beaches are scarce, particularly those encompassing biosphere reserves in northern Patagonia. A total of 6513 items, weighting 66.3 kg, were collected in the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Biosphere Reserve, MAB-UNESCO) over a three-month period. The survey included beaches facing the open coast and those facing the lagoon. Our results indicate that almost all marine debris metrics (i.e., total abundance and total mass of marine debris, abundance and mass of plastic debris; abundance of all sizes and color codes of plastic debris, and abundance of presumed sources of plastic debris) varied significantly at the beach scale, with higher loads on the beaches facing the open coast, particularly at the very mouth of the estuary. This information may aid the Management Committee of the Biosphere Reserve as well as the city council in addressing issues related with marine debris in the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon.
Chapter
Rapid and transformational actions are ever more urgently needed to achieve a just, resilient, and ecologically sustainable global society, as envisioned and supported by the Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, dynamic governance approaches are vital for addressing changing and uncertain conditions. At many levels, governance needs to be responsive and flexible - in one word - adaptive. This book provides a state-of-the-art review of the conceptual development of adaptiveness as a key concept in the environmental governance literature, complemented by applications from global, regional, and national levels. It reviews the politics of adaptiveness, investigates which governance processes foster adaptiveness, and discusses how, when and why adaptiveness influences earth system governance. It is a timely synthesis for students, researchers and practitioners interested in environmental governance, sustainability and social change processes. This is one of a series of publications associated with the Earth System Governance Project. For more publications, see www.cambridge.org/earth-system-governance.
Article
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Every year about 300 million tons of plastic is produced, resulting in more than five trillion plastic particles currently floating in the oceans five largest convergence zones. The Ocean Cleanup is testing a method to passively collect this floating plastic debris, transport, recycle, process and sell it. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate alternative logistics chains to accommodate ocean plastic waste recycling by connecting transport with data collection and data analytics. The scenarios are based on different geographical destinations, supply chain lengths and types, and offered local development opportunities. A new reverse logistics channel dedicated to the Ocean Cleanup is developed, as existing reverse logistics supply chains are not able to capture the specifics of the plastic waste collection. Performances of the different scenarios are assessed by collecting data (on plastic volumes collected from the Ocean, on usage of plastics as a resource, and on transport cost) and usage of a detailed integrated model which enables a performance comparison of different logistical structures on logistics costs and on plastics production outputs. The cheapest and most disappointing solution would be to do nothing. However, the analysis shows that more complicated logistic structures whereby the collected plastic waste is used to produce glasses, socks, and carpets can lead to sustainable business models for cleaning up the Oceans. If the focus would be only on cost, the best model would be to minimize the transport distance and focus on San Francisco as closest port for the selected gyre to be analyzed.
Chapter
Climate Change and Ocean Governance - edited by Paul G. Harris February 2019
Research
Marine debris has emerged as a global issue that poses risk to environment system. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of marine debris in Savu Sea Marine National Park, particularly in Kupang City, Rote Island, and Ndana Island as transboundary islands with Australia and the Indian Ocean. Six beaches were assessed on this study, comprised of total 12 transects. debris collected from sampling sites weighed 52.14 kg with abundance 4.447 ± 1.131 kg/m2 and 215.417 ± 35.609 item/m2. Most debris pieces were accumulated on high tide line and the area that many residents passed through. In terms of type, food wrapper and plastic bag dominated the debris composition due to their occurrence in every transect. It is strongly suggested that beached debris in Kupang and Rote was sourced from the population activities, whereas in Ndana was transported from other places via ocean currents.
Article
Marine debris, such as derelict fishing gear, bottles, plastics, and Styrofoam, remain in the sea almost in perpetuity and harm the marine environment. Some marine debris is transboundary, making it a controversial issue on an international scale. With industrialization, population growth, and dense activity in coastal areas, large quantities of marine debris are generated, harming the marine environment and causing a large number of maritime accidents in Korea. Most of the coastal countries in the world are in a similar situation. The challenges to managing marine debris in Korea are shared with the international marine community.
Article
Marine debris threatens Northwestern Hawaiian Islands' (NWHI) coral reef ecosystems. Debris, a contaminant, entangles and kills endangered Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi), coral, and other wildlife. We describe a novel multi-agency effort using divers to systematically survey and remove derelict fishing gear from two NWHI in 1999. 14 t of derelict fishing gear were removed and debris distribution, density, type and fouling level documented at Lisianski Island and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Reef debris density ranged from 3.4 to 62.2 items/km2. Trawl netting was the most frequent debris type encountered (88%) and represented the greatest debris component recovered by weight (35%), followed by monofilament gillnet (34%), and maritime line (23%). Most debris recovered, 72%, had light or no fouling, suggesting debris may have short oceanic circulation histories. Our study demonstrates that derelict fishing gear poses a persistent threat to the coral reef ecosystems of the Hawaiian Archipelago.
An Economic Review on the Marine Debris Management
  • D O Cho
Cho, D.O., 2003. An Economic Review on the Marine Debris Management. Korea Maritime Review, vol. 226. Korea Maritime Institute, Korea
Strategy for Improving Enforcement of Marine Environment Protection Policy: Focused on Derelict Fishing Net and Rope
  • D H Choi
Choi, D.H., 2001. Strategy for Improving Enforcement of Marine Environment Protection Policy: Focused on Derelict Fishing Net and Rope, Korea Maritime Institute, Korea.