Ocean plastic is something that many of us are aware of and its devastating impact when polluting our oceans; including marine mammal ingestion and of course, entrapment. One of these causes of entrapment is fishing line. 

Fishing line is as standard produced from plastic. Something which takes a long time to degrade down once lost in the ocean. There are many biodegradable alternatives that are readily available on the market. These biodegradable products, in general taking approximately 2-3 months to degrade, as oppose to the 600 years predicted for standard line. 

As scuba divers the entrapment of marine species is witnessed first hand. The devastating effects of cat sharks, fish and many other creatures caught in discarded or broken line, a lifetime hazard which unless removed by divers or washed up onto the shores will remain in situ needlessly harming marine life. 

Fishing is a highly recognised hobby and this petitions aim is not to stop recreational fishing, but instead stop the use of plastic line and implement the use of biodegradable. Allowing the same enjoyment, but with reduced impact to the marine environment.