Welcome
to the website dedicated to preventing waste in fishing ports on the Atlantic coast
As part of the Free-LitterAT project, several European partners (France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland) are working together to tackle marine litter. One of the key priorities is to reduce waste from used fishing gear and waste passively fished by encouraging its collection, treatment and recycling.
Find out more about current practices in fishing ports on the Atlantic coast and the solutions that can be implemented to limit the impact of this waste on the oceans.
Recycling
of used fishing gears
nets, trawls, traps, dredges, lines, seines, etc.
1. MANUFACTURING
• Fishing gear producers: manufactures, sells or imports fishing gear
2. USE
• Fishermen (“sailors” or “skippers”) who work on trawlers, gillnetters, line boats, pot boats…
3. SORTING
• Fishermen
• Port agents
4. DISMANTLING
• Companies specialising in the assembly and dismantling of fishing nets
• Fishermen
• Retired fishermen
• Adapted employment services
5. STORAGE
Storage facilities provided by the port manager:
• On the quayside
• In a port reception facility
• In a dedicated warehouse
6. TRANSPORT
• By the port agents themselves
• By a transport service provider
7. WASTE MANAGEMENT
• Recycling: mechanical or chemical recycling and manufacture of new objects from used fishing gear.
• Other types of waste management: Incineration, Landfill, Energy recovery.
Today, the majority of used fishing gear ends up in landfill.
• Other existing practices: Repair, reuse, repurposing, etc.
Create zero-waste coastal communities by combining knowledge,
tools and technologies with pilot actions involving the participation of multiple stakeholders.
Fishing port sheets
information sheet
Fishing port of Castletownbere
A busy port that is home to several state organisations and fishing businesses. Including a seafood processing plant, an ice plant, fisherman’s co-op, and shipping agents. Cruise liners and island ferries also dock here.
30 x >20m fishing vessels are based at the port, the majority are whitefish trawlers.
information sheet
Fishing port of Howth
Fishing, seafood processing and sales.
Marine leisure cruises, sailing club, tourism.
Fishing practice: There are currently 5 pelagic trawlers, 36 demersal trawlers and 12 crabbers.
Landings: Prawn, Crab and white fish
information sheet
Fishing port of Port-en-Bessin
Fishing port
A fish market (1st auction in Normandy and 6th in France) Fleet of 61 vessels (mainly trawlers)
information sheet
Fishing port of Audierne
Fishing port and marina
Presence of a fish market, online sales only Flotilla of 30 vessels (gillnetter and trollers)
initiatives
initiative(s)
IFF Plastics
IFF Plastics in Co. Clare, Ireland worked together with BIM to investigate if retired fishing nets from ports could be recycled into a material to create products such as fence posts.
Read more