Waste Disposal Practices of Fishing Vessels: Canada’s East Coast, 1990–1991

There is a growing awareness that persistent plastic debris in the marine environment threatens marine life and reduces economic potential. Data from beach surveys and high seas observations collected over the years demonstrate a long-term problem and identify a common source of debris: offshore fishing fleets (Buxton 1990; Lucas 1992). An extensive fleet of both foreign and domestic vessels operates in the Atlantic Ocean within the 200-mile economic zone off Canada’s east coast. Before this project, formal data concerning waste disposal practices of fishing vessels or of other vessels at sea were scarce.