Fishing community pulls plastic from its waters

The drive initiated by Hu has gone on to be included in China's Blue Circle environmental initiative, which won the 2023 Champions of the Earth award, the United Nations' most prestigious environmental recognition.

However, Hu's journey on Changtu Island was a challenge from the start. According to Hu, the most difficult part was changing the deeply ingrained habits of the fishermen.

"Awareness was not fostered overnight," she said. "Initially, it was hard to convince them to bring plastic waste back to land.

"Life at sea is already difficult, and asking fishermen to collect garbage in addition to their daily work was a tough sell," she said.

But Hu and her fellow yusao volunteers didn't give up. They patrolled the harbor daily, and whenever a boat pulled in, they would board it to educate the fishermen.

"We taught them how to bring plastic garbage back and explained how reducing plastic pollution would improve local fish and crab populations," said Hu.

Over time, their tireless efforts gradually began to pay off. They successfully signed agreements with fishing boat owners to ensure the proper classification of ocean waste. Today, fishermen are eager to collect plastic waste and transport it to shore. At its peak, 71 boats were taking part in plastic waste collection on the island, according to Hu.

A group chat with over 400 members, including both fishermen and volunteers, now coordinates the recycling of plastic waste. "It has become routine for those fishermen," Hu said, as her phone rang with notifications from fishermen bringing in their newly collected plastics.

Yu Le'an, a 35-year-old who has been fishing for more than a decade, has been in charge of collecting garbage on the boat for the past four.

"Ocean waste also increases our costs. Plastic and metal debris caught in the fishing nets damage them and take time to remove," Yu said. "We also want to reduce the waste.

"Plus, when we sell the collected plastics for recycling, we earn a little extra money for beverages and vegetables during our trips," he added.

Yu and his fellow fishermen have dedicated space on their boats for waste collection, as they often spend one to two months at sea. "We sometimes use fishing nets to transport the waste to the land," he said.