A key takeaway from the three-year cross-border environmental project Re:Fish, which tackled the plastic pollution from recreational fishing in the Central Baltic Sea, is that preventing marine litter is far more effective and far less costly than cleaning it up afterwards.
Funded by the EU Interreg Central Baltic Programme, Re:Fish brought together Håll Sverige Rent (Sweden), the Finnish Environment Institute, Keep the Archipelago Clean Association (Finland), and the Estonian Marine Institute at University of Tartu on how to address the issue of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear.
Through coordinated dragging and diving operations, the project cleaned 225 sq km of Baltic Sea coastal waters. This resulted in the removal of 8763 metres of gillnets and 2044 kg of abandoned fishing gear.
Some of the retrieved gillnets were analysed to assess their potential for material reuse. In addition, recycling stations for end-of-life fishing gear were established in Finland and Estonia.
The project also collected 1237 kg of additional marine litter from the Baltic Sea and surrounding beaches. These efforts help to restore marine habitats and prevent long-term environmental damage.
In Finland, ghost nets and other fishing gear were removed from the coastal areas of Rauma, Uusikaupunki, Kustavi, and Helsinki. The dragging operation targeted 92 areas known for active recreational fishing. Dragging and diving operations covered a total of 56 sq km, and altogether 7.5km of nets were lifted from the sea. This is only a small portion of all the fishing gear that ends up on the seabed, as earlier studies have estimated that recreational fishers lose a couple of thousand nets – up to 60km of netting – each year in Finland’s marine areas.
‘The oldest plastic nets we removed had license tags from 1983 and 1990. Some nets were even older and made of cotton. This gives clear evidence of the scope of the problem and how long the nets persist in the environment,’ states Pekka Kotilainen, Senior Researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute.
Fishing nets containing plastic were also collected from recreational fishers at ten service points in the Archipelago Sea. Nearly 1700kg of nets were returned to the service points arranged by the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association. Some of the nets were sent to LAB University of Applied Sciences for material analysis to determine how the nets could be safely and efficiently used as raw material for new products.
‘Material analysis revealed that the properties of the nets were very close to those of virgin plastic types. Plate-like samples were produced from the nets’ float and lead lines, and this material could be used, for example, in industry,’ said project manager Carolin Kolmeder from the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association.
The material analysis also examined compliance with the EU’s chemical legislation regarding substances of very high concern (SVHCs). Their concentration was less than 0.1% of the total weight of the net material, meaning the safety requirements were met.
Carolin Kolmeder notes that the results of the material analysis are still preliminary.
‘Only a small sample of the nets that could potentially be recycled in Finland was sent for analysis. However, the preliminary results suggest that it is possible to give the nets a new life in a new form.’
While clean-up operations delivered visible results, Re:Fish placed equal emphasis on behavioural research, stakeholder engagement, and policy alignment. Surveys were conducted to better understand recreational fishers’ attitudes and practices regarding gear loss. The findings, combined with insights gathered through workshops involving government authorities, organisations, retailers, and producers, provide a strong foundation for more effective future strategies and policy implementation.
The results also offer guidance on compliance with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUP Directive). Since January 2025, producers and sellers of plastic fishing gear have been required to take responsibility for collecting end-of-life gear and ensuring proper waste management. Comprehensive project reports will be published in 2026 via the Central Baltic Programme and partners’ websites.
Throughout the project, public awareness campaigns and events reached more than 8.6 million people across Finland, Sweden, and Estonia, further strengthening responsible practices in recreational fishing.
The project emphasises cross-border collaboration, bringing together authorities, researchers, recreational fishers, and youth from three countries to share knowledge and scale solutions.
The Finnish Environment Institute’s Rosgis reporting service, promoted throughout the project, is an effective tool enabling citizens around the Baltic to report lost fishing gear and other litter. It is published in five languages Finnish, English, Estonian, Latvian and Swedish. By strengthening public participation and citizen science, it contributes directly to a cleaner marine environment.
