BlueFish has joined forces with Comptoirs de la Mer, the French chain of suppliers to the fishing and leisure boating sectors, to promote a campaign for clean beaches and clean seas.
Bluefish has been firmly committed to promoting responsible fishing activities in Europe since its establishment in 2013, and the Clean Shores, Clean Seas campaign, supported by the French Environment Ministry, is designed to promote best practice and to raise awareness of the problems of marine litter.
The Comptoirs de la Mer chain of shops, which supplies both the fishing industry and the leisure boat sector, has joined in the initiative aimed at minimising waste from vessels, promoting the storage of waste on board and its disposal ashore, supporting waste collection and disposal initiatives in ports and participation in the collection of waste from beaches.
According to a report by CESER Bretagne and evidence from the industry, the volume of macro-waste collected at sea has fallen due to systematic efforts to collect this that have been in place since 2008. in 2012, almost 1200 tonnes of lost netting was retrieved and disposed of by the crews of 265 trawlers in the Finistère region of western France.
An effort to collect marine waste from beaches is being organised for this coming Saturday (4th June) along 22 beaches along the Channel and Atlantic coasts, with volunteers invited to participate in gathering garbage.
BlueFish has mobilised teams of volunteers through regional fishery committees and anyone interested is invited to take part in the initiative that is set to take place on beaches along the French coast.
Participants will be given a collection kit, including collection bag, gloves and a high-viz vest. A registration web site has been set up at www.plage-propre.org
