Fishing for Litter Scheme

We are a supporter of the Fishing for Litter initiative which has been on the go since 2004. The initiative was developed by KIMO (Local Authorities International Environmental Organisation), a European-wide association of coastal local authorities whose goal is to eliminate pollution from the Northern Seas.

Lerwick is one of the scheme’s registered ports, offering cost-free landing facilities for marine litter from fishing vessels. Providing safe disposal routes for marine litter is key to meeting our environmental objectives and demonstrates a strand of our community stakeholder involvement.

Large bags are given to registered vessels to collect the plastics, ghost gear and other debris that gathers in their nets during normal fishing activities. On return to port, they can unload the bags of litter into a dedicated skip which are collected for recycling or disposal.

Fishing vessels that are registered to participate in the scheme, helping to recover marine waste from the sea, can use the dedicated ‘Fishing for Litter’ skip which is located at the Box Berth at Mair’s Quay. The skip should not be used for any other purpose or general vessel waste, for which there are other arrangements in place.

Read more about our ongoing commitment to tackling ocean plastics. Other initiatves include use of an industrial sized sweeper and a backpack hoover on the quaysides to stop net clippings entering the sea.