Building on what it has already started in helping to save the environment, the Kingdom of Bahrain has aired plans to consider banning plastic fishing around the Kingdom.
Through this effort, Bahrain is considering requiring fishermen and industry players to return to older fibrous plant materials for fishing instead of the synthetic materials that are more commonly used nowadays.
Plan to Ban Plastic Fishing in Bahrain Raised
According to a report by Time Out Bahrain, Bahrain Volunteer Dive Team (BVDT) spearheaded a proposal that urges fishermen to once again use the more environmentally-friendly fibrous plant materials for fishing.
According to Ocean Cleanup, around 46 percent of the plastic in the Great Pacific garbage patch is made up of discarded fishing nets, and this could be the same across the globe.
The study revealed that these nets are eaten by fish who misidentify them as food, or they trap turtles, dolphins, and other sea creatures and kill them.
In line with this, the Bahrain Volunteer Dive Team (BVDT) is leading the way on the proposal and wants fishermen to return to older methods used before the introduction of plastic.
To ensure that the project will maintain momentum and direction in the long-term, the group have called for CCTV cameras to be installed in all ports so anyone using plastic nets can be caught.
At this point in time, authorities have yet to confirm when the ban will take effect, but the project has been put up for tender.
The initiative comes as BVDT takes part in the national campaign Our Seas Clean which has seen piers across the Kingdom cleaned, and recycling bins installed at Ras Raya Port.
A week prior to this news development, around 1,700 volunteers turned out to pick up plastic from Bahrain’s beaches.
These efforts are noteworthy because as we can tell, these efforts do not singly come from the government but even from the local communities in Bahrain.
Hopefully, when the provisions of the new law have been set, more opportunities will open to more people to take part in the action to protect the environment starting in Bahrain.
The focus on fishing activities stems from the fact that fishing is a popular activity for many, particularly for those who love water.
Furthermore, despite the environmental challenges in the region, fishing remains to be one of the important industries in Bahrain. Fish is both exported and used for domestic consumption, including shrimp, crabs, rabbit fish, lobster, and cuttlefish. Of these, shrimp fishery is one of the most important fisheries in Bahrain in terms of market demand and export activities.
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