Fishing plastic waste: Knowns and known unknowns.

Area of Science:

• Marine pollution
• Environmental science
• Socio-economics

Background:

• Land-based sources like single-use plastics dominate marine pollution research.
• Fishing plastic waste is a substantial, yet under-documented, contributor to ocean pollution.
• Challenges in identifying pollution sources obscure the full impact of fishing waste.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the knowledge gap regarding fishing plastic waste.
• To synthesize existing literature on its environmental, health, and socio-economic impacts.
• To provide a foundation for understanding the fishing industry's plastic waste dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Literature synthesis.
• Development of a causal loop diagram to model the issue.
• Exploration of knowns and known unknowns.

Main Results:

• Identified significant environmental, health, and socio-economic impacts of fishing plastic waste.
• Highlighted complexities and interconnections within fishing industry plastic waste dynamics.
• Revealed a lack of holistic understanding in current approaches.

Conclusions:

• Short-sighted strategies risk systemic failure in addressing marine plastic pollution.
• Advocates for strategic, integrated measures considering all plastic waste streams.
• Emphasizes the need for a comprehensive understanding of ocean plastic pollution sources and impacts.