Greenland Considers Fish Net Recycling Fee

There is political agreement on Greenland about taking an initiative for clearing up so called ‘ghost nets’ – fish nets that float around in the sea without seeming to belong to anyone or even being lifted and cleansed. Such nets cause damage to birds and nature, and they represent a danger to fishing vessels and other ships.

Greenland’s fisheries minister Siverth K. Heilmann (A) has gone far in agreeing with a proposal made by Aqqaluaq B. Egede (IA) to establish an initiative to reduce the amount of ghost nets, according to Sermitsiaq. The plan for the initiative is to be finished by the spring of 2020.

One of the solutions discussed is establishing a recycling scheme for fishnets. A mandatory fee would be added to the buying price on fishnets, and then later returned in full when the fish net is returned for recycling purposes.