Extent of marine litter from fishing and fisheries

Clean-up data from beach clean-ups performed in Norway shows that waste types originating from fishing and fisheries account for a large proportion of marine litter, particularly along the coast and especially in Northern Norway. Nationally, rope is the item that is cleaned up most frequently but there are no analyses available that distinguish between which of the maritime industries such ropes originate from. Looking at volume by weight, remains of fishing equipment and lost tools are also among the major sources. Even though we require knowledge and a data basis to provide a proper estimate of the extent of the issue nationally and internationally, the existing data from clean-up operations, clean-up missions and analyses is nevertheless adequate to state that marine litter from fishing and fisheries is significant.