{"id":28064,"date":"2024-09-26T17:50:25","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T15:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/news\/okrugli-stol-otpad-iz-mora-ribarske-luke\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T18:10:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T17:10:58","slug":"roundtable-marine-waste-fishing-ports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/news\/roundtable-marine-waste-fishing-ports\/","title":{"rendered":"Are fishing ports moving toward sustainability? Roundtable discussion of the FishNoWaste project provides answers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On September 17, 2024, a round table discussion was held in the premises of the Municipality of Tribunj on the topic of comprehensive waste management in fishing ports. The FishNoWaste<\/a> project, which organized the round table, seeks innovative solutions for comprehensive waste management in fishing ports<\/strong>. Local authorities and experts gathered to discuss the challenges and solutions for sustainable fishing practices that would preserve our seas for future generations. There was consensus among all participants that a sustainable model for overall waste management must be established<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FishNoWaste project is a continuation of the efforts initiated through the DeFishGear<\/a> <\/em>and ML-REPAIR<\/a> projects, and the results so far have been significant. For years, monitoring has been conducted, key problems have been identified, and specific areas requiring attention have been determined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The round table was moderated by Pero Tutman<\/strong> and Dubravka Bojani\u0107 Varezi\u0107<\/strong> from the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split<\/a>. The participants in the discussion included Marko Grubeli\u0107<\/strong>, Mayor of the Municipality of Tribunj; Valentina Andri\u0107<\/strong> from the Fisheries Advisory Support Service, Fisheries Administration \u2013 Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; Sanda Novkovi\u0107<\/strong> from the Tribunj Municipal Enterprise; Matea Lovri\u0107<\/strong> and Ivana Bra\u010danov<\/strong> from the Adria Fishermen’s Cooperative<\/a>; Sanja Slavica Mate\u0161i\u0107 <\/strong>from the Department of Environmental Protection, Spatial Planning, Construction, and Municipal Affairs of the \u0160ibenik-Knin County; Tea Kuzmi\u010di\u0107 Rosandi\u0107<\/strong> and Matea Tara\u0161<\/strong> from the Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development Sunce<\/em>; a nature conservationist <\/strong>from the Public Institution Nature of the \u0160ibenik-Knin County<\/a>; and fisherman Ivica Cvitan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"otpad-iz-mora-bemed\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"otpad-iz-mora\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Fishermen are the solution to the problem since they collect marine litter daily, yet they are often unjustly neglected and lack systemic support, \u2013 said PhD Pero Tutman<\/strong> from the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is marine litter disposal so complex?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The issue of collecting and managing marine litter is complex due to divided responsibilities and different procedures depending on how the waste is delivered or extracted from the sea. The Waste Management Act<\/strong> defines “marine litter” as waste in the marine environment and coastal areas in direct contact with the sea, created by human activities on land or at sea and found on the sea surface, in the water column, on the seabed, or washed ashore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, maritime facilities and the organization and implementation of the collection, delivery, and reception of waste in port reception facilities, as well as ship cargo residues, are governed by regulations on maritime affairs. The Regulation on the Conditions and Manner of Maintaining Order in Ports and Other Parts of the Internal Waters and Territorial Sea of the Republic of Croatia<\/strong> defines “ship-generated waste” as all waste, including cargo residues, created during ship operations or during loading, unloading, and cleaning, covered by MARPOL <\/strong>73\/78 Annexes I, II, IV, V, and VI, as well as passively caught marine litter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to current regulations, waste collected by fishing nets during fishing activities is defined as part of marine litter and is subject to legal provisions under the jurisdiction of the ministry responsible for maritime affairs. Ship-generated waste, including passively caught marine litter, is delivered to port reception facilities, which are managed by the port authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"morska-mre\u017ea-ribar\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After receiving passively caught marine litter, port authorities must record the quantities and report them to the competent body, ensuring disposal in accordance with the Waste Management Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legal framework prescribes procedures, but stronger cooperation between competent bodies, local government units, port authorities, and utility companies is necessary for implementation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 In the framework of the FishNoWaste project, we have identified pilot areas (four fishing ports in Italy and Croatia: Chioggia, Bri\u017eine, Rimini, and Tribunj) for implementing sustainable solutions, with hopes for future broader implementation, \u2013 said PhD Dubravka Bojani\u0107 Varezi\u0107 <\/strong>from the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does marine litter reception look like in practice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Waste management is quite a complex issue. What is theoretically planned does not foresee practical challenges, \u2013 said Marko Grubeli\u0107<\/strong>, Mayor of the Municipality of Tribunj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the discussion, fisherman Ivica reflected on voluntarily collecting passively caught marine litter for many years. What he has noticed is the large amount of plastic along the coast and bulkier discarded waste in the open sea, such as fire extinguishers, paint cans, etc. Depending on the waste category, disposal costs can significantly increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Fishermen voluntarily collect marine litter. Passively caught marine litter endangers the catch, and its disposal is expensive, \u2013 said Ivica Cvitan<\/strong>, a fisherman from Tribunj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the absence of an efficient disposal system and cooperation, lack of control, illegal use of cooperative infrastructure, and rising or variable service costs<\/strong> are some of the issues faced by the Adria Fishermen’s Cooperative. By participating in the project, Adria plans to improve its operations through infrastructure reconstruction, control mechanisms, fisherman education, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valentina Andri\u0107, Head of the Fisheries Advisory Support Service from the Fisheries Administration<\/strong>, highlighted MARPOL 73\/78, which prohibits the return of passively caught marine litter from ships back into the sea, obliging fishermen to bring passively caught marine litter to designated unloading sites prescribed by the Ordinance on the List of Unloading Sites for Catch from Fishing Vessels Engaged in Commercial Fishing at Sea. She also pointed out the issue of divided responsibilities between the ministry responsible for maritime affairs and the ministry responsible for waste management and the need to strengthen horizontal cooperation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishermen are exempt from paying for the delivery of passively caught marine litter but are not exempt from indirect fees.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the context of the obligations of port authorities and concessionaires, Ms. Andri\u0107 pointed out EU and national regulations stipulating that the costs of operating port reception facilities for ship-generated waste are covered by fees collected from ships<\/strong>. The legal obligation of port authorities is to develop a Waste Reception and Handling Plan for a three-year period<\/strong>, which must include the amount of fees and the basis on which they are calculated. Indirect fees cover administrative costs and part of the operational costs, while direct operational costs are covered by direct fees. Indirect fees are paid by all ships, regardless of whether they deliver waste to the port reception facility. Fishermen are exempt from paying for the delivery of passively caught marine litter, but they cannot be exempt from indirect fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As prescribed by Directive (EU) 2019\/883, the costs of collecting and processing passively caught marine litter must be covered by alternative funding systems<\/strong>, such as waste management programs, fisheries and aquaculture programs, or national or regional funds, so that the costs are not solely borne by port users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a potential model for reducing indirect fees and consequently the costs for fishermen\u2019s cooperatives and fishermen themselves, the possibility of co-financing from the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund for the removal of passively caught marine litter is suggested. According to Article 105 of the Waste Management Act, the costs of collecting fishing gear containing plastic and delivering to port reception facilities or authorized collectors are covered by the Fund. The obligations of the Fund, port reception facility operators, waste collectors, and processors are prescribed by the Regulation on Packaging, Waste Packaging, Single-use Plastic Products, and Fishing Gear Containing Plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"eko-kontejner-omi\u0161\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to fishermen, the fishing sector is facing a shortage of port reception facilities. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has established cooperation with the ministry responsible for maritime affairs to jointly address the issue of equipping unloading sites where trawling catches are landed, in accordance with the Ordinance. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Program of the Republic of Croatia for the programming period 2021\u20132027 includes funds for equipping fishing ports and unloading sites, which opens the possibility for establishing an effective system for receiving passively caught marine litter. The speed of its establishment will depend on effective communication between the relevant bodies, port authorities, local government units, and utility companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Since Croatia’s entry into the European Union, the general awareness of the need for environmental protection has been growing. Despite this, we are facing a lack of cooperation, communication, and divided responsibilities, \u2013 said Sanja Slavica Mate\u0161i\u0107 <\/strong>from the Department of Environmental Protection, Spatial Planning, Construction, and Municipal Affairs of the \u0160ibenik-Knin County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must work together and understand the legislation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, the participants identified cooperation between bodies with different responsibilities and authorities in addressing this issue as key. Additionally, efforts must be made to better understand the legislation and tackle unauthorized waste disposal in port areas. To achieve this, efforts will be focused on strengthening communication among relevant stakeholders and involving necessary entities to establish an effective waste collection system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"otpad-iz-mora-ljudi-brod\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that approximately 3,000 tons of various marine litter from the Adriatic Sea can be removed indirectly through commercial fishing with bottom trawl nets<\/strong>. For example, if one boat equipped with this fishing gear operates about 150 fishing days per year, it is estimated that it collects 10 to 12 kilograms of marine litter. Thus, the fishing fleet cleans around 3 tons of marine litter annually from the Adriatic. Fishermen might indeed be the solution to this problem on the ground, but it is necessary to establish cross-sector cooperation between local utility companies, port authorities, and local government units. Only through an interdisciplinary approach can we educate and raise awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The <\/em>FishNoWaste<\/strong> project will continue to apply pilot solutions, with the hope that these solutions will serve as a model for broader implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"FishNoWaste-interreg-eu\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The FishNoWaste project, which organized the roundtable, seeks innovative solutions for managing marine litter in fishing ports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":28062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1250,1179,5],"tags":[1203,1052,1270],"class_list":["post-28064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-waste-from-the-sea","category-fishnowaste-waste-reduction-and-management-in-fishing-ports-of-the-adriatic-sea-to-promote-sustainable-fisheries","category-news","tag-fishnowaste","tag-marine-litter","tag-tribunj"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28064"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30129,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28064\/revisions\/30129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}