Towards a Plastic-Free Ocean: The Impact of Responsible Fishing Practices || IPNLF

Towards a Plastic-Neutral Ocean: The Impact of Responsible Fishing Practices || IPNLF
Together with renowned videographer Pepe Brix, we proudly debuted the film "A TRULY PLASTIC-NEUTRAL FISHERY" at the Pacific Whale Foundation’s 8th Annual World Whale Film Festival in Hawai'i in 2024, an event dedicated to celebrating marine conservation efforts and Indigenous ecological knowledge on June 6, 2024.
Since its premiere in Hawai'i, 'A Truly Plastic Neutral Fishery' has been shown at the international film festivals Ocean Films Húsavík (Iceland), BABUL ECO FILM FESTIVAL (India), Vision 2030 (Italy), Cinemar 2025 (USA and Portugal), and Cimasub 2024 (San Sebastian). It won the Environmental Awareness Award for the most awareness-raising work at the San Sebastian.
The film highlights the pressing concerns surrounding ocean plastic pollution and the large quantities of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) from industrial fisheries while underscoring the Azores pole-and-line fishery's commitment to responsibility by becoming the world's first “plastic-neutral” fishery. You read that right: The Azores pole-and-line fishery IS PLASTIC-NEUTRAL.
Our short documentary shows how to change these coastal communities and ocean ecosystems that are negatively affected by large industries’ ALDFG and ghost nets. Furthermore, “A Truly Plastic Neutral Fishery” has been selected to be shown globally at multiple film festivals around World Ocean Day, including in the USA, Iceland, Portugal, Italy, and India. This initiative aims to create an international movement to hold the fishing industry accountable for its massive contribution to ocean plastic pollution.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to our partners in the Azores: the Azores Fisheries Observer Program (POPA www.popaobserver.org), Observatório do Mar dos Açores (the Azores Ocean Observatory - OMA), Associação de Produtores de Atum e Similares dos Açores (APASA), Federação das Pescas dos Açores (FPA), and University of Azores INSTITUTO DO MAR (IMAR).
Thank you for taking the initiative and your support during the Plastic Neutral Project Azores: the responsible tuna brand Fish4Ever (which remains ever-committed to its core principles and sourcing pole-and-line tuna from the Azores) and Biocoop, the organic retailer in France. And, of course, Pepe Brix, for truly another beautiful short film!