An audit of plastic use in the fishing and aquaculture sectors

A major challenge facing the Australian seafood industries is the lack of baseline data to support plastic usage trends. It was assumed that the cost of purchasing plastics, and in particular, packaging, represented a material cost of production. Most stakeholders, however, could only provide rough guesses at the volumes consumed and total costs incurred. This project aims to provide a better understanding of the volumes and types of plastics used by the Australian seafood industry, including waste management and reduction strategies including the use of alternative materials.