Tom Butel, who spends his time climbing, coasteering and rock jumping, said that he has become concerned about the rubbish that has been left by fishermen on Jersey’s rocks and shorelines over the last few years.
The 27-year-old said that he picks up a binbag full of rubbish every time he abseils off cliff paths near La Moye which he says consists of fishing tackle, packaging, hooks, beer cans and cigarette packets.
He said: ‘These guys are spoiling a beautiful area, and there is a wildlife concern, too. There are a lot of species of birds that hunt around that area and they could swallow the hooks.
‘And it’s a concern for the dolphins in those areas of the bay. It has an effect on everything. I don’t know how anyone can turn a blind eye to it.’
Mr Butel said that even though certain areas of Jersey were less frequently visited than others, Islanders should still tidy up after themselves, adding that fishermen should encourage each other to pick up their litter.
Greg Morel, assistant director of marine resources at the Environment Department, said that he believed the majority of fishermen took their rubbish home and it was just a few who left the mess.
‘Our message is very simple: dispose of all your rubbish appropriately,’ he added.
‘I think the key to these things is education. As more people learn and understand the implications of their actions, they are less likely to do it in future and are likely to pass on the message to others.’
Andy Farmer, the founder of Littlefeet Environmental, said: ‘Unfortunately this is something we see all too often. On almost every beach clean we conduct, the vast majority of rubbish is old rope, netting and other discarded fishing gear ,including old pots.
‘We collected more than four tonnes of debris from the beaches in 2014 alone, and I would say that over 90 per cent of that was fishing related.
‘If a land-based industry was leaving such an amount of refuse behind, the public would be in uproar, but because it’s in the sea, it is hidden from view – and it is out of sight, out of mind for many people.
‘Personally, I would like to see some kind of responsible marine use charter to be developed and adopted by the fishing industry and all other marine users.’
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Last summer, volunteers collected more than half a ton of rubbish in just over an hour during an Islandwide beach clean.
A carpet, large rusty nails and a small bottle of the chemical methanol were just some of the items found during the event.
Around 80 volunteers swept the shorelines of a number of beaches across the Island, including St Ouen’s Bay, St Aubin’s Bay, Grève de Lecq and Bouley Bay. They collected a total of 533 kg of rubbish.
This included plastic bottles, disposable BBQs and lobster pots which had washed onto the shores – through no fault of the fishermen.
Ashley Johnson, who organised the event with his girlfriend Sadie Norman, said it was important to clean the beaches to protect the safety of Islanders and wildlife.
‘I am absolutely stunned at how much rubbish we collected and how many people turned up. It just shows that people do care,’ he said.
