Support measures

Install a cost recovery system (insurance fund) for aquaculture farmers to ensure that they remain motivated and are incentivised when bringing gear and ALDFG back to shore and hand it over to appropriate collection facilities.

Financial support Financial support

Photo: Kat Yukawa Photo: Kat Yukawa

Examples of such initiatives can be found across Europe and beyond, but these have mainly been organised by (pilot) projects financed by project funding, private initiatives or donors like “Fishing for Litter”. A sustainable solution must be based on legal grounds, moving beyond project funding. An insurance fund could provide the base for such a standardised volunteer system and takes the financial risks away from farmers to have to pay for the retrieved gear by themselves.

Relevant type of aquaculture:

Fish Shellfish Seaweed

Relevant sea basin:

Baltic

Relevant stage:

Removal and recycling

Related Barriers:

  • Despite the removal of financial penalties for fishermen and aquaculture farmers tobring gear ashore under the revised Port Reception Facilities Directive, the effects of paying even indirect fees may not be sufficient as an incentive to completely exclude disposing of damaged gear at sea if storage space on board is limited. In addition, the obligation to set-up additional port reception facilities, in smaller ports in particular, may lead to an increase of overall port fees.

  • The cost of collection and transport of end-of-life aquaculture gear are yet not organised with the involvement of materials producers. At present that cost is mostly left to the ports– this is particularly relevant in a sector where both ports, and the farmers are often small-scale.

  • Some aquaculture farmers are both, producers of gear and farmers, e.g. mussel and shrimp farmers often produce their nets themselves and can be considered as producers as well

Related Good Practice:

No data available yet. Do you have an example? We invite you to our section Submit Info