Baseline:
Zhoushan fishery is the most important fishing ground in China, and "discarded fishing gear" is an important source of marine plastics. "Discarded fishing gear?, also known internationally as "Ghost Gear", refers to fishing gear that is abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded. According to a report published by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as many as 640,000 tons of discarded fishing gear is lost or abandoned in the oceans every year, and for every 125 tons of fish caught by fishermen, about 1 ton of discarded fishing gear is generated.
Two years ago, we began to conduct a survey of discarded fishing gear in typical local waters of Zhoushan fishery. From the survey, the situation of discarded fishing gear is alarming. According to our estimation of the 3-5% depletion rate of drift boat gear in Zhoushan and Linhai , the total amount of newly discarded fishing gear is not less than 18,600 tons

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per year for more than 2,000 fishing vessels with the above mode of operation in the Zhoushan fishery in a range of 35,000 square kilometers for disposable crab stream gillnet only; and the discarded fishing gear poses a potential and actual threat to the marine organisms (mainly aquatic creatures), and has a significant impact on the sustainable development of fishery and the safety of vessel production. production and other major impacts. For this reason, we wrote a special report on the survey to the leaders of the Fisheries and Fishing Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2022, which was highly valued and recognized by the leaders. Liu Xinzhong, Director of the Fisheries Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, personally went to Zhoushan to preside over conferences to listen to the views of all sectors, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources" in November 2022 for the first time to include "support for the recycling of discarded fishing gear, and encourage the production of renewable fishing gear," and other policy guidance, and were Zhoushan municipal government included in the "Waste-Free City" promotion plan, and the reduction and management work has been fully emphasized.

Problems:
First, the structure of social organizations in fishing communities is generally ageing, and there is a problem of a "succession gap" in the gradient of the core staff of social organizations in particular. At present, half or more of the population of island fishing villages are elderly people and women over the age of 55, which may lead to the collapse of the organization if there is a problem of generational replacement.
Secondly, the development capacity of social organizations in fishing areas is a cause for concern. After the transformation of the functions of fisheries economic cooperatives, the weakening of their economic functions and the lack of economic support are common problems; existing organizations such as the fisheries wives' associations are themselves loose organizations lacking binding force, with no strong leader, making it difficult to generate leadership; and other public welfare mutual-aid organizations are mostly ad hoc community organizations; linking and nurturing various types of organizations needs to be achieved through a new working mechanism.
Third, the current situation of community participation in the management of derelict fishing gear lacks the necessary conditions to promote a closed loop of work. Through the leadership and support of various government departments, it is necessary to rationalize the relationship between fisheries cooperatives (companies), associations, full-time social workers, other volunteer teams and other aspects, implement resource support channels, clarify the responsibilities of various types of organizations, clarify the division of tasks, and achieve complementary functions, so as to meet the requirements for the formation of synergies.
Fourthly, there is a lack of linkage means for high value utilization. At present, no matter from the implementation of corporate social responsibility, marine waste plastics product application scenario research and development, market-oriented use of the development process, the front end recycling price is low, the treatment end of the path of high-value utilization of marine plastics has not yet opened up. On the one hand, it is necessary to reflect the government's role from directional guidance and supporting policies, and at the same time, it is also more important to seek the completion of the high-value utilization platform, the construction of channels, and the use of the whole society's governance methods and means from the perspective of marketization, so as to realize the effective docking of the industry's front and back ends, in order to maintain and support the sustainable development of governance actions in the long term.

Activities:
Activity1.Enhance the conscious awareness of local fishermen to participate in marine environmental protection, influence the marine protection awareness of more than 95% of the owners of fishing vessels, and through them, spread the radiation of marine environmental protection education to more other crew members and their families.
Activity 2.Assisted the local government in replicating the Changtu Island model. Launched eight leading demonstration vessels in four fisheries cooperatives, influencing 90% or more of local fishing vessels to participate in the " Fishing Vessels No Discard" campaign, and bringing back no less than 230 tons of marine plastic garbage to be cleaned.
Activity 3.Prepare and submit a series of thematic reports to promote and influence the formulation and improvement of relevant policies of government departments.

Outcomes:
1. through public education on marine environmental protection, influence and raise the marine conservation awareness of over 95% of fishing vessel owners, and through them, spread the radiation of marine environmental protection education to more other crew members and their families.
2. Assist the local government in replicating and constructing the operation model of Changtu Island, launching 8 promotional demonstration vessels in four fishery cooperatives, influencing 90% or more of the local fishing vessels to participate in the ?Fishing Vessels No Discard" campaign, and bringing back no less than 230 tons of discarded fishing gear to be cleaned up.
3. Completing two surveys for the project: mainly including a survey on the social situation of the fishing community in Gaoting Town (including the current situation of the volunteer team) and a typical survey on the operating garbage of fishing vessels in the town by mode of operation, which will provide support for the promotion of the pilot project by submitting policy recommendations; submitting three special reports: first is to complete the project's "Social Situation Baseline Survey Report"; second is to complete the "Survey on the Operating Marine Plastic Garbage of Fishing Vessels in Zhoushan Fishing Ground"; the third is to complete and adopt a "Social Survey of Fishing Areas in the Fishing Area". Completing and adopting a document on "Standards for Social Organizations in Fishing Areas to Participate in the Governance of Marine Plastics" and forming a proposal to submit to the county or municipal People's Congress to promote the government to introduce the corresponding policies; and fourthly, completing the "Summary Report of the Project" to push forward and influence the formulation and improvement of the relevant policies of government departments.

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