Fishermen pluck 50´000 tons of rubbish from the sea

LOCAL fishermen picked up 50'000 kilos of floating rubbish from the sea between January and August this year.
This was the result of an agreement betwen Emaya, which is in charge of rubbish collection in Palma, and the Palma fishermen's guild.
Emaya president Catalina Terrasa said that the 50'000 kilos of rubbish collected by the 12 fishing boats was slightly less than previous years, something which she attributed to greater environmental awareness. All the rubbish was collected between 15 and 20 miles from the shore, and most of it was plastic and bottles, although it also included bags of rubbish, chunks of wood, clothing and footwear. Terrassa also said that Emaya's three boats picked up 38'800 kilos of rubbish from the sea. Sixty per cent of this was plastic, she added.
She went on to say that this is the third year that Emaya has worked in collaboration with the fishermen and she described the results as highly positive. The fishermen are not paid for this service, which is due to continue over the next few years.