India, July 7 -- Marine litter along India's coastline is influenced by tides, currents, wind, shipping, tourism, industry and land-based waste, says CMFRI Director Grinson George.

CMFRI surveys across 261 beaches show that only 20-30 per cent of marine litter comes from fishing and related operations.

George says a circular economy for ocean plastic will work only if fisherfolk are incentivised and consumers are willing to pay more for recycled products.

India's marine litter crisis is no longer confined to polluted beaches, with plastic waste now being recorded in reefs, mangroves, fish habitats and near-shore fishing grounds, according to Grinson George, Director of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Marine Fishe...