Ocean cleanup groups are concerned that years of work and good jobs tied to cleaning up plastic pollution on Canadian shores will fail after the federal government cut a critical source of funding in the recent budget.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Ghost Gears Fund – which invested nearly $60 million in 139 projects to alleviate the ocean plastic problem – is not outlined in the recent federal budget, said Josh Charleson, director of relations for the British Columbia-based Coastal Restoration Society.
The fund was created in 2020 to curb and address the harmful impacts that plastic ropes, nets, Styrofoam floats, traps and other equipment from the commercial fishing and aquaculture sectors have on ocean animals, people and marine ecosystems.
More than 2,214 tons of plastic waste and thanks to the funding, almost 900 kilometers of rope have been removed from Canada’s oceans and beaches.
The ghost gear initiative has helped create a nascent “blue” restoration economy that has spurred innovation in the industry, the infrastructure needed to divert marine debris from landfills, and clean, well-paying jobs in rural coastal communities, especially for indigenous peoples, all of which are underway. line if federal funds run out, Charleson said.
“It’s really a shame,” Charleson said, noting that the move seems inconsistent with Canada’s promises and leadership to reduce ocean plastics at home and around the world.
“It doesn’t bode well to reach international agreements and then, on the other hand, cut the funding that makes that work happen on the ground.”
Jobs and training related to ocean water management are particularly valuable to coastal First Nations as other well-paying jobs in the hard-hit traditional forestry and fishing sectors decline, said Charleson, also a former Chief of the Nation. Hesquiaht and commercial fisherman.
Funding cuts to the program will have a significant impact not only on coastal cleanups but also on new marine debris recycling infrastructure developed over the past four years, said Chloé Dubois, executive director of the Ocean Legacy Foundation.
Coastal cleanup groups are concerned that the federal Ghost Gear fund, which invested nearly $60 million in 139 projects to alleviate the ocean plastic problem, is not outlined in the recent federal budget.
The ghost gear program helped Ocean Legacy It established collection depots on the west and east coasts, where plastic equipment from shoreline cleanups was sorted for reuse by fishing and aquaculture operators, recycled or repurposed, Dubois said.
“Our warehouses act as educational centers for communities to learn about the issues of ghost equipment and plastic pollution,” he said.
“They also help divert what should be considered valuable resources from landfills.”
The goal is to create a “closed-loop” economy for plastics to dramatically curb the production of new goods, most of which end up in marine or aquatic ecosystems, he said. The foundation also sources plastics from fishing ropes and other equipment to turn them into pellets that can be used to make durable secondary products such as boats and “plastic lumber” for park benches, patio furniture and picnic tables.
There is a significant gap for coastal communities to process plastic materials once collected, particularly in the Atlantic provinces, Dubois said.
“We have established a solid system, the necessary infrastructure and all the training,” he said.
“It’s been a pretty big effort and not renewing the funding jeopardizes all the work we’ve done.”
Gord Johns, NDP MP for the Courtenay-Alberni riding on Vancouver Island, said he has repeatedly pressed Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthlier on the issue and has not gotten clear answers about continued funding.
The federal government unveiled a budget that appears to cut funding to clean up ocean plastic pollution just before hosting international negotiations for a global plastics treaty, Johns said.
“I am absolutely shocked and frustrated and people on the coast are in disbelief. [The Ghost Gear Fund] “It became a recognized program, a model throughout the world.”
It is critical that the federal government commit to sustainable, reliable funding to clean up ocean plastics and boost a recovering economy, Johns said.
Coastal communities are disproportionately affected by marine plastic pollution and First Nations play a crucial role in ocean recovery efforts, he added.
The equivalent of 2,000 truckloads of garbage are dumped into oceans and waterways every day, Johns said. And 70 percent of the weight of microplastics found in oceans around the world, including Canada’s Arctic waters, come from ghost gear that breaks down into small particles in marine ecosystems.
Removing plastics from the ocean protects wildlife, such as threatened humpback and right whales, marine food webs and the health and food security of Canadians, Johns emphasized, noting that you can’t walk on a beach on the West Coast that doesn’t is contaminated by small nodules. of polystyrene foam.
The best way to prevent its spread, beyond a ban advocated by an NDP private member’s bill, is to clean it up while it’s still in manageable portions, Johns said.
“It is literally suffocating the ecosystem, the species that live there and us, humans,” he said.
“We have the longest coastline in the world. It is essential that we take action.”
DFO did not respond to questions from Canadian National Observer about funding concerns for the ghost arts program or coastal cleanup efforts.
Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer