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The theme for World Environment Day 2023 is ‘Solutions to plastic pollution’, hosted by Côte d'Ivoire. Côte d'Ivoire is showing leadership in the fight against plastic pollution, for example by banning the use of plastic bags and supporting environment-minded initiatives like the study on the impact of marine litter on beach seine fisheries in the Gulf of Guinea by the EAF-Nansen Programme.  

“Our study revealed that the income and food supply of beach seine fishermen have been reduced because of the amount of marine litter caught in the nets," said Dr Peter Kershaw, expert on marine litter and microplastics at FAO. This was the conclusion based on an analysis of the quantities and types of litter caught in the nets and found on the beach, and interviews with representatives from fishing communities in Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Ghana and Togo, Dr Kershaw explained.   

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 percent is recycled, and an estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. 

In West Africa, where beach seine fishing is one of the most common artisanal small-scale fishing methods, marine litter, especially single-use plastic items, has become a part of the daily routine, threatening the food and job security of thousands of people. This is an additional challenge to a fishery that is threatened by other pressures such as overfishing and the destruction of sensitive habitats and inundations. The intention is to include all these aspects in revised fisheries management plans to support more sustainable practices. 

“Not only do they catch high quantities of waste along with their fish, which increases the time spent sorting the fish and reduces the value of their catches that are already declining, the litter sometimes destroys the gear and causes injuries to the fisherfolk sorting as well”, said Sika Abrokwah, a research fellow from the University of Cape Coast, who was leading the study in Ghana. Few of the fishing communities have access to adequate waste collection and management so the quantities of litter tend to increase. 

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually since 1973, the World Environment Day is one of the biggest international days for the environment that mobilizes action from every corner of the world. 

“We know that urgent action is required to reduce the leakage of plastics to the ocean, but there is no simple solution, and we need to join forces globally,” Dr Peter Kershaw said, adding that governments and key stakeholders need to step up and take action to tackle the problem. “If we can't succeed in this endeavour, other food and income-generating activities may be needed for these communities to be sustainable in the future”.  

The actions proposed by the EAF-Nansen Programme to reduce marine litter in the Gulf of Guinea include a complete reduction of single-use plastics, improved waste management for fishing communities, options for recycling, and regular monitoring of the management interventions.   

By the second half of 2023, the EAF-Nansen Programme study on the impact of marine litter on beach seine fisheries in the Gulf of Guinea will be published. In the meantime, learn more about UNEPs campaign dedicated to #BeatPlasticPollution.  

About the Programme

The EAF-Nansen Programme is a longstanding partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Norway, dating back to 1975. It is executed by FAO in close collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).  

In collaboration with 32 countries across Africa and the Bay of Bengal, the Programme is improving fisheries policies and management practices in line with the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF), and developing the capacity of fisheries institutions to ensure sustainable fisheries management. 

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