Ghost nets end up in the world’s oceans thanks to a number of factors. They become damaged and end up falling off boats into the ocean, or they get dumped by fishermen who think no one is watching. Either way, they can do a whole lot of damage to an ocean’s ecosystem. 

Ghost nets are an environmental disaster on two fronts as well. They float in the ocean for a while, catching all sorts of fish and marine mammals along the way–causing the most harm to turtles, whales, sharks, dolphins, and other larger species. These species don’t reproduce as often so their populations are hit the hardest when they suffocate at the hands of a floating fishing net. Over time, once the fishing nets finally sink to the bottom of the ocean and break down into a “plastic soup”, the chemicals used to make them are released and eaten by fish as they make their way up the food chain. It’s heartbreaking on so many levels, but there may be an alternative in the works.

Engineering student Alejandro Plasencia has created a fishing net that fixes all of the above problems. His inventive net biodegrades in four years time and built in RFID tags map where the net is located in the ocean so the nets can be retrieved and fixed. The tags are connected to an app that allows fishermen to use their smartphone to find the net.

The nets contain the additive d2w in the thread’s polymer which help them to biodegrade so they doesn’t become ingredients in plastic soup.

“The ghost net and plastic soup phenomena threaten the way of life for many populations, so it’s a problem we were very interested in tackling,” said the designer.

It’s a rational idea to fix a huge problem. I wrote recently that data collected over a six-year period has finally taken an aerial view of the world’s plastics. In all, 5 trillion pieces of plastic, collectively weighing 269,000 tons are floating in the world’s oceans, causing pollution beyond our wildest nightmares.

In the meantime, The NOAA Marine Debris Program is taking steps to deal with discarded fishing gear by providing a place for fishermen to dispose of gear free of charge. The program has collected more than 2.1 million pounds of gear from 41 locations across the United States. But judging by the numbers above, there’s much more work to be done to deal with these imminent threats head on.

Related on EcoSalon

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Mass Extinction Imminent: Half of All Wild Animals Diminishedi in the Last 40 Years

Image: Tomás Fano

The post Banishing Ghost Nets from the World’s Oceans with the Help of a Trackable, Biodegradable Alternative appeared first on EcoSalon.

Dutch company Star Sock to produce socks made out of recycled fishing nets.

Star Sock, the company that manufactures sportswear and performance socks for labels such as Lotto, Dakar and New Balance, will soon be making socks with yarn made out of recovered fishing nets. The recently launched Healthy Seas Initiative is a cooperative effort between Star Sock, Aquafil (producer of the recycled yarn) and the ECNC Land & Sea Group non-profit to create more awareness of marine waste issues among consumers, companies and policymakers. Although recycled fishing nets have been utilized in the B2B sector for carpeting, Star Socks’ venture marks the first fishing net recycling scheme for consumer products.

The Healthy Seas Initiative is focusing on removing waste litter from our oceans and re-utilizing it in cost-effective and sustainable ways. Abandoned fishing nets make up to 640,000 tons of waste in the oceans, accounting for nearly one-tenth of all marine litter.  Often made out of nylon and polyester, these nets remain in the marine ecosystems for hundreds of years and can easily capture and cause the deaths of animals such as dolphins, turtles and marine birds.

Star Sock became fascinated by Aquafil’s recycled yarn when looking for more sustainable production practices, and so brought them in contact with the ECNC biodiversity restoration group to develop a collaborative biodiversity project. Since discarded fishing nets are an impending issue in nearly all bodies of water, the project is applicable worldwide. However, the company has decided to initially test pilot the initiative in Europe, eventually hoping to create a recycling system where nets are delivered directly to the recycling facility.  This would cut out all of the harm caused by dumping waste into the oceans and dramatically cut the costs of obtaining material for recycling.

Star Sock’s goal is to produce half of all their socks with minimal negative ecological and social impact by the end of 2015, and with no negative impact by 2020. The ambition will hopefully be implemented into the manufacturing of each product line by the third decade of the 21^st century. Although small, the company is very dedicated to developing a sustainable approach for their entire supply chain. Star Sock is efficiently working towards creating sustainable solutions to offer the “best possible socks for all consumers, both for your feet and our entire environment”. Keep an eye out for socks, swimwear and underwear made out of recycled fishing nets in the coming year.

Images: Star Sock

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