Tag Archives: Fishermen’s Association
Sri Lanka: Plastic, chemicals and a devastating environmental hit for commercial fishermen and their communities
The X-Press Pearl is lying half sunken off the coast of Sri Lanka. Images of the ship burning for days have gone around the world,,, Tons of tiny plastic pellets have already washed up on the local beach nearby. Aside from the environmental threats, there are also devastating consequences for the 
local communities, fishermen who overnight lost their livelihoods and will likely suffer for years to come. Plastic pellets, also called nurdles, are tiny round pieces of plastic, used to make nearly all plastic goods. They will wash up on beaches or end up in the guts of fish and other ocean animals. “More hazardous than the plastic are the chemicals,” >Video, photos, click to read< 14:35
Fishermen’s Strike Could Start Tonight
A strike of 3,500 Icelandic fishermen will begin tonight at 11 pm unless an agreement can be reached between them and Fisheries Iceland by that time, RÚV reports. The negotiating parties will meet with the state negotiator at 1:30 pm in a final attempt to prevent a strike. Garðar Helgason, head of Fisheries Iceland, told RUV he is cautiously optimistic an agreement can be reached in time. The head of the Fishermen’s Association, Valmundur Valmundsson, could not be reached for comment. If no agreement is reached, this would be the first fishermen’s strike in 15 years. There are three ships fishing in the Barents Sea. It would take them three to four days to reach harbor in Iceland. An agreement has been reached regarding the price of fish, which was the largest bone of contention. link 09:25
