Plastic waste risks marine livelihoods in Sierra Leone.

The "It's the plastic waste,' he laments, 'scanning the beach and the sea. They dump all of it into the sea. It badly affects our boats. When it tangles the fishing gear, we can't catch fish; it creates lots of problems for us.'

Despite these difficulties, Bangura says, 'Life has to go on. I have a family to feed, so I work hard out there every day to bring catch for food to eat and to sell.'

The urban areas of Sierra Leone, including the capital city of Freetown, are grappling with a significant plastic waste problem that has extended to the sea, leading to alarming consequences for marine life.

A walk along the beach in Tambakula, a popular fishing resort in the Aberdeen Community of Westend Freetown, provides a vivid picture of the magnitude of the problem.

Washed ashore overnight by the tide, assorted plastic waste covers large swathes of the beach. As the plastic finds its way into the sea through various outlets, including run-off, it is the ocean's turn to regurgitate this noxious content.

Lives and livelihoods

'Despite the ocean's attempts to flush out the toxic plastic waste, marine life, including fish, ingest these poisons. It is very concerning,' says Mr. Bangura. With a heartfelt plea, he beseeches the residents of Tambakula and the wider Freetown community: 'Stop thoughtlessly discarding used plastic.'

Abubakarr Conteh, a fellow angler, says that despite investing a substantial amount of money, he is unable to recoup his investment because of the insufficient fish catch. He speaks highly of the area harbour master, crediting him with consistently raising awareness of the dangers of discarding plastic waste into the sea and its environs.

'The harbour master understands the effect plastic has on our fishing nets, so he forbids the disposal of waste around here. Nevertheless, it still occurs to some extent,' says Mr. Conteh, his face marked with disappointment.

Sierra Leone has some 402 kilometers of coast on the Atlantic Ocean, and shrimp, crab, lobsters, tuna, and mackerel are abundant in the country's waters.

Fishing serves as the primary source of livelihood for the majority of the country's eight million population, providing 80 per cent of the country's protein needs and employing - directly and indirectly -some 500,000 people.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that the fishery sector accounts for 12 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

Moreover, according to the Sierra Leone Investment and...