Italian fishermen fight to rid the sea of plastic waste Over the last few weeks several sperm whales have washed up on Italy's beaches, their stomachs full of plastic. Sea plastic is threatening the marine ecosystem, with fishermen on the frontline. At San Benedetto del Tronto, they're taking part in "fishing for plastic", a month-long experiment to get them to bring the plastic waste they catch in their nets back to dry land instead of throwing the rubbish back into the water.