Newlyn bags the litter bug!

Sarah Henshall, from the Cornwall Fisheries Resource Centre has masterminded the litter campaign here in the west of Cornwall.

Next Friday, March 13th, Fishing for Litter South West, an initiative to help clear the sea of rubbish, will be officially launched at Newlyn.

Fishing for Litter South West is enlisting the help of local fishermen and encouraging them to bring ashore litter caught in their nets during fishing.

Local fishermen are supplied with special large hard wearing 0.5t or 1.0t bags which they take out with them so that they can easily collect marine litter that they find at sea. The bags are then brought into harbour and deposited on the quayside where the rubbish is collected and recycled or disposed of responsibly.

The project is based upon Fishing for Litter Scotland which has been in operation for over 3 years. Scotland's fishermen, from 16 major ports and from over 110 vessels, have removed over 150 tonnes of litter. As well as being harmful to the marine environment, litter can pose a serious risk by causing entanglement or breakdown of vessels at sea.

Fishing For Litter South West is coordinated by Seafood Cornwall Training Ltd, Newlyn. Further information can be found at http://www.fishingforlitter.org