Impacts of marine debris on subsistence fishermen An exploratory study

As a first step, the study investigates two beaches close to Jayapura, Irian Jaya province, Indonesia, for types and amounts of waste. The source of litter is a municipal dumpsite on the coastline in a nearby bay. In that bay lives a small community of traditional fishermen. These fisherfolk mainly use gill nets, hook and line, or gather shellfish and molluscs by hand. The respondents described impacts such as propeller entanglements, foulings of gill nets and hooks, damage to the fishing gear, and injuries. These problems were viewed by some as serious enough to cause modifications to their fishing behaviour (sometimes against their best economic interest) such as avoidance of some fishing areas, and use of different types of gear. Plastic bags are the most common type of debris reported by the fishermen. More than half of gill net fishing expeditions had debris fouling the nets.