A group that doesn't make a profit and works on environmental issues has established 25 places in Atlantic Canada to collect and recycle tons of used fishing equipment and is concerned that it may have to close without more financial support from the government.
The Fishing Gear Coalition of Atlantic Canada states that its funding agreement with the federal Fisheries Department will expire on March 31 after four years and there is no sign of it being extended.
The co-executive director Marquita Davis mentioned that the coalition has received $550,000 from the department's Ghost Gear Fund in the current fiscal year.
Davis explained that the program for collecting gear helps reduce the pressure on local landfills and finds new purposes for old lobster traps, crab pots, nets, and fishing rope.
According to a report from the coalition in 2021, the lobster industry in Nova Scotia alone buys, replaces, or constructs approximately 244,400 lobster traps and 17,890 kilometers of fishing rope each year.
The coalition has gathered and recycled more than 3,400 tons of fishing gear since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was initially published on March 13, 2024.
