Round table: "The Black Sea Pollution with Plastic Waste - a Cooperation Initiative to Transform Current Challenges into Future Sustainable Development Opportunities . " May 30. Burgas, Bulgaria

"Importance of the fishing sector in the prevention, collection, and disposal of plastic waste at ports. Reliefs and incentives for the fishing sector to preserve occupation and effectively participate in the transition to a circular economy "Dr. Yordan Gospodinov- Secretary General of the Black Sea Consultative Council (BSCC)

Bulgarian and Romanian Black Sea coast - common facts The Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Romania are two of the six countries on the Black Sea coast, together with Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey. The total length of the Black Sea coastline is 5824 km. The Bulgarian Black Sea coast has a length of 378 km. The Romanian Black Sea coast has a length of 225 km.

Pollution of the Black Sea with plastic waste - sources - common facts Worldwide, 5-13 million tons of plastics - between 1.5 and 4% fall into the oceans every year Less than 30% of this waste is collected for recycling purposes. About 25.8 million tons of plastic waste/year in Europe. The Black Sea - 70% of the total waste comes from the six Black Sea countries. Some of this waste and the remaining 30% (of the other 11 countries that do not have access to the Black Sea) flow through the Danube river.

Population of the big cities on the Black Sea coast - facts Istanbul (11,372,613 people); Odessa (1,001,000); Samsun (725,111); Trabzon (400,187); Sevastopol (378,600); Varna (358,000); Kherson (335,000); Sochi (334,282); Constanta (302,171); Novorossiysk (231,100); Batumi (214,806); Burgas (199,364); Kerch (158,165); Orddu (136,000); Zonguldak (104,276).

Collaboration on Prevention and Collection of plastic waste The role of science at national and European level for education in fishing - information sessions for enhancing environmental consciousness; The role of associations in informing - the shortest way for information to reach operators at sea; The role of the fishing sector in collecting plastics with nets and trawls at sea.

Black Sea Fleet Number of registered vessels: Bulgaria has 1886 vessels; Romania has 620 fishing vessels. Segment lengthwise in Bulgaria Number of vessels 31.12.2016 31.12.2017 Up to 6 meters 655 660 between 6 and 12 metres 1160 1128 Between 12 and 18 meters 67 64 Between 18 and 24 meters 17 More than 24 metres 11 Total 1910 1880

TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES: A CIRCULAR ECONOMY VISION Provides a productive environment for social innovation and entrepreneurship; EU funds on support and collection actions for certain plastics and innovative collection technologies; Employment in the sector and opportunities of new jobs; Ability to utilize valuable raw material.

TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES: A CIRCULAR ECONOMY VISION (continued) Bulgarian fish processing industry - opportunities of using plastic packaging for food, which guarantee its safety and is made of recycled plastics. Incentives!?

Reliefs and incentives for the retail fishery sector to preserve occupation and effective participation in the transition to a circular economy There is no clear motivation for consumers and manufacturers to switch to solutions that will generate less waste or unregulated disposal of waste. An urgent need to focus on incentives for collecting, unloading, and handing over of plastic waste from the sea to the shore.

An example from the "Fishing for litter" project KIMO Marine Waste Reduction Initiative involving a key stakeholder group - the fishing industry; Started by the Dutch North Sea Directorate in co-operation with the Dutch Fishing Association in March 2000; KIMO - 75 Member States among which The United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, etc; Participating vessels are provided with bags in which they collect marine waste caught during their fishing activities; Full bags are stored in special locations in ports, and the cost is borne by the project (waste generated by the ship is processed according to the standard scheme).

An example from the "Fishing for litter" project (continued) "The EMS Framework Directive notes that "Fishing for litter" offers a tested tool for removing waste from the sea and raising awareness of the issue." Strategic Guideline 2 of the Marine waste strategy of Scotland: the KIMO initiative "Fishing for litter" to be introduced at each port: raising awareness of the economic and environmental impact of the marine waste among fishermen and the fishing industry; changing practices in waste management in the fishing industry; direct removal of marine waste in the course of normal fishing activities ". EMS - European Marine Strategy MW-marine waste

An example from the "Fishing for litter" project (continued) KIMO Report on the Economic Impact of marine waste (Mouat, Lopez Lozano and Bateson, 2010): Marine waste costs the Scottish fishing fleet approximately 11.5 million pounds a year; Dumping fishing, gear repair and loss of fishing time due to marine waste - approx. 10,000 pounds/boat/year; Each boat - 41 hours/year - removal of marine waste from the nets; it is essential to take further action to reduce the problem. EMS - European Marine Strategy MW-marine waste

Reliefs and incentives for the retail fishery sector to preserve occupation and effective participation in the transition to a circular economy (continued) Raising environmental awareness and responsibility not only as part of the industry but also as citizens for the new present and the future of our children; Exemption from fees for collecting and discharging marine waste at ports; Pilot projects and their funding by sponsors - municipalities, ministries, the EU, or companies.

Collaboration for landfilling and recycling of plastic waste Specially separate landfills at fishing ports for discharging collected marine plastic waste; The role of the municipalities - decision making, construction, landfill control, sorting, and storage of plastic waste until it is exported. The role of recycling companies in the acceptance, absorption, and processing of different types of plastics.

References: Fishing for litter; web page: http://www.fishingforlitter.org.uk/what-is-fishing-for-litter; Executive Agency for Fishing and Aquaculture Report by the General Assembly of the Bulgarian Association of Fishing Products BG FISH-2018 other

Thank you for your attention!