Fishing and fish farming as sources of plastic litter and microplastics — a case study from Finland

A country-specific assessment of the role of fishing and fish farming as sources of marine littering was carried out in Finland. The calculations were based on data from fishery statistics, mass loss estimates for different plastics, cloud-based and postal surveys, and telephone interviews. The annual input of plastics to the Baltic Sea directly related to fishing activities and gear was estimated to be close to 16 tonnes, and to fish farming 27–36 tonnes, when potential plastic emissions from the vessel’s hull were excluded. Microplastics constituted more than 90% of the emissions of plastics. Results from the survey and interviews revealed that commercial fishers considered marine litter a slight nuisance to fishing, whereas fish farmers did not find it harmful to fish farming.