Germany – Supporting services for the government – UNtangling our SEAs (UNSEA) – Ein holistischer Lösungsansatz zur Vermeidung der Belastung der Meeresumwelt mit Fischfanggeräten

Despite a growing awareness of the consequences of plastic pollution for the marine environment, there is a continuing threat from ALDFG, which is newly entering the marine environment or has been present there for decades in some cases. The aim of UNSEA is therefore to systematically prevent further entry of ALDFG into the North and Baltic Seas, to reduce the negative ecological and socio-economic impacts, and to identify and recover old waste, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas. This includes addressing both commercial, part-time, and sport fishing in the North and Baltic Seas. Aquaculture and marine aquaculture and inland fishing are excluded from the project scope. Existing guidelines and agreements of relevant national and international legal frameworks are currently still fragmented, lack financial backing, and are sometimes under review for various reasons. UNSEA is therefore intended to bring together the various sub-aspects in a coherent framework for action, with a focus on implementing cost-effective and operational measures. This involves rethinking the handling of fishing gear waste from fishing, anchoring principles of the circular economy in the management of fishing gear, and also addressing specific findings such as Dolly Ropes (abrasion-resistant threads on bottom trawls) and net parts from repair work, which are frequently found in the marine environment. The project will provide the necessary seed funding over its term and, in parallel, create long-term structures with clear responsibilities for sustainability by the federal and state governments. For the first time, a cross-sectoral mechanism will be established and implemented, which will also include the exchange of knowledge and information. The project can build on existing legal frameworks, recommendations from research and policy, preparatory work within action and implementation plans, and voluntary industry initiatives. In particular, the Round Table Marine Litter (RTM, www.muell-im-meer.de), established in 2016 and coordinated by the Federal Environment Agency and the State of Lower Saxony, has already carried out comprehensive conceptual preparatory work that can be used as a basis for UNSEA. This has provided insights into the scale of the problem and identified suitable methods as well as existing and missing elements in the chain from searching to the most environmentally sound disposal of ALDFG. Furthermore, the results and recommendations of two pilot projects for the implementation of the recovery of lost fishing gear in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV) and Schleswig-Holstein (SH) must be taken into account. While the project in MV has already been completed (https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/Deutschland/WWF-Abschlussbericht-Landesprojekt-Verlorene-Fischereigeraete.pdf), the publication of the final report of the SH project is expected for August 2026 with planned follow-up activities for the mapping and recovery of fishing gear waste. The work under UNSEA should be closely coordinated with these activities to avoid duplication of efforts.