Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Potential microplastic release from beached fishing gear in Great Britain's region of highest fishing litter density

Researchers surveyed abandoned fishing gear on beaches in Great Britain's highest fishing litter density region, characterizing rope and net types to estimate potential microplastic release from degrading marine-based plastic pollution sources.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 132 citations
Article Tier 2

Properties and Recyclability of Abandoned Fishing Net-Based Plastic Debris

This review examines how abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear degrades in marine environments through biocatalytic and photocatalytic mechanisms, while exploring the ecological damage caused and evaluating recycling practices and alternative uses as strategies for managing this significant source of marine plastic pollution.

2022 Catalysts 38 citations
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Approach to Assessing the Potential of Plastic Fishing Gear to Release Microplastics

Researchers developed an integrated approach to assess how abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear releases microplastics into marine environments. The study found that fishing gear is a significant but understudied source of microplastic pollution, and the research provides new methods for quantifying microplastic release from different types of plastic fishing equipment.

2025 Water 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The mitigation of the ghost nets threat by recycling of polypropylene: Blends, their ageing tests and spectral characterization

Researchers developed a method to recycle polypropylene plastic from abandoned fishing nets — a major source of ocean microplastics — by blending recycled fibers with fresh plastic and testing the resulting material in simulated seawater. The recycled blends held up as well as new plastic, suggesting ghost net recycling is a practical strategy to reduce marine microplastic pollution.

2025 Cleaner Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Opportunities for Recycled Polyethylene Fishing Nets: Towards a Circular Economy

Researchers examined the challenges of recycling polyethylene from discarded fishing nets, finding that contaminants and degradation during the nets' service life significantly reduce the mechanical properties of recycled resins. The study explores strategies to improve recycled fishing net polyethylene quality and advance circular economy approaches for marine plastic waste.

2021 Polymers 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification and environmental pollution aspects of lost fishing gear in the Nordic countries

Researchers compiled data from Nordic countries on the quantity and composition of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in aquatic environments, examining contributions to macro- and microplastic pollution and hazardous chemical contamination, while also evaluating prevention strategies and mitigation options for lost gear impacts.

2023 TemaNord 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Risk of aquaculture-derived microplastics in aquaculture areas: An overlooked issue or a non-issue?

This review examines aquaculture-derived microplastics from degrading fishing nets and foam buoys, finding they represent a significant but overlooked source of marine microplastic pollution with distinct environmental consequences compared to other sources.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Waste to Value Process Chain for Recycling of Fishing Gear Collected from Coastal Waters

Researchers developed and evaluated a waste-to-value recycling process chain for fishing gear collected from coastal waters, addressing the challenges of heterogeneous and contaminated input materials and demonstrating pathways to convert post-use fishing nets and gear into useful recycled products while supporting coastal economies.

2025 Lecture notes in mechanical engineering
Article Tier 2

Fishing fleet waste and its impact on the marine environment

This brief report summarizes the environmental impacts of waste generated by fishing fleets, including plastic gear, nets, and packaging that are major sources of marine microplastic pollution. Lost and discarded fishing equipment — known as ghost gear — is one of the most persistent forms of plastic waste in the ocean.

2023 HYDROMETEOROLOGY AND ECOLOGY PROCEEDINGS OF THE RUSSIAN STATE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Article Tier 2

Source, fate and management of recreational fishing marine debris

Researchers conducted the first global literature review of recreational fishing marine debris, identifying plastic and metal as dominant materials and nearshore reefs and coastal areas as both sources and sinks, while concluding that the sector's contribution to marine debris is likely underestimated and understudied.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation and ecotoxicity of new and used fishing nets. First results of a research project in the south-eastern Bay of Biscay

Researchers examined the degradation and ecotoxicity of new and used fishing nets from the southeastern Bay of Biscay, characterizing the micro- and nanoplastics and chemical additives released from fishing gear as a major source of secondary plastic pollution in marine environments.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Ocean-based sources of plastic pollution: An overview of the main marine activities in the Peruvian EEZ.

This study used material flow analysis to quantify the plastic waste entering the ocean from Peruvian fishing, shipping, and aquaculture activities, finding the fishing industry as the largest marine-based source. The results highlight the importance of ocean-based sources of plastic pollution alongside the better-studied land-based pathways.

2023 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

Searching for SMART(er) solutions: A laboratory-assessment of microplastic release from aquaculture nets and ropes

Researchers tested aquaculture and fishing gear under simulated in-water abrasion to measure microplastic release rates under realistic operational conditions. The study found that net and rope materials shed substantial quantities of microplastics through routine mechanical wear.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Recycling Approach of Marine Plastic Litter: Highly Filled Composites Obtained by Loading Waste Fishing Nets Fiber into Fluidified Recycled Polystyrene and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

This study explores recycling waste fishing nets by embedding their fibers into recycled polystyrene and ABS plastics to create highly filled composite materials. The approach offers a pathway to reduce marine plastic litter from abandoned fishing gear while producing useful recycled material.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic emissions from fishing ropes: Quantification, characteristics, and implications for marine pollution

Researchers quantified microplastics generated from the mechanical abrasion of polypropylene-based fishing ropes and found that over 92% of released particles were non-fiber fragments rather than fibers. Each additional kilogram of hauling weight produced roughly 1.4 extra microplastic particles per meter of rope. Global estimates suggest that fishing rope abrasion alone releases approximately 768 trillion microplastic particles annually, highlighting fishing gear as a substantial and often overlooked source of marine microplastic pollution.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Sediments Originating from Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in Coastal Areas of the Valencian Community

Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a pervasive problem in the Mediterranean, and this study directly measured its contribution to microplastic pollution in coastal sediments near Alicante and Benidorm, Spain. Sites with fishing nets on the seafloor had significantly higher microplastic concentrations than net-free control sites, with polymer types matching those used in fishing gear (nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene). The study provides direct evidence linking derelict fishing gear to localized microplastic hotspots, strengthening the scientific case for systematic retrieval programs and stricter regulations on gear loss in sensitive coastal areas.

2026 Biology
Article Tier 2

Supplementary file 1_Fishing net waste management: quantification and valorization.docx

Researchers developed a methodology to quantify discarded fishing net waste from Latvia's fishing gear industries and evaluated waste valorisation scenarios including reuse, recycling, and energy recovery using environmental life cycle assessment and environmental damage cost methods. The study frames fishing net waste management within circular economy principles, identifying pathways to reduce microplastic release from abandoned or discarded gear into marine ecosystems.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Searching for SMART(er) solutions: A laboratory-assessment of microplastic release from aquaculture nets and ropes

This laboratory study simulated mechanical abrasion of plastic fishing gear and aquaculture equipment to quantify microplastic emissions, addressing the fisheries sector as a poorly characterized source of marine microplastic pollution. Abrasion of plastic gear released measurable quantities of particles, with emission rates varying by material type and abrasion conditions.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Lixo nos mares: origens e impactos na biodiversidade

This article reviewed the origins and biodiversity impacts of marine litter—focusing on microplastics and discarded fishing gear—examining how litter affects organisms across the food chain from smallest marine organisms to apex predators, and analyzing gaps in Brazilian legislation on marine waste management.

2025 Acta of Fisheries and Aquatic Ressources
Article Tier 2

The ghost nets phenomena from the chemical perspective

This review examines ghost nets—abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear—from a chemical perspective, analyzing their polymer composition and how they degrade into microplastics over time. Ghost nets are a major source of microplastic pollution in the oceans and continue to entangle and harm marine life long after they are lost.

2021 Pure and Applied Chemistry 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular Business Models for SMEs in the Fishing Gear Industry

This chapter examines how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the fishing gear industry can adopt circular business models to recycle fishing nets, ropes, and components rather than discarding them. Lost and discarded fishing gear is a major source of ocean plastic pollution and microplastic generation in marine environments.

2023
Article Tier 2

From sea to shore: Estimating used, lost and stranded fishing gear in the Southeastern Bay of Biscay through models and a novel gear identification key

Researchers estimated that 211 tons of plastic fishing gear were used and 6 tons lost in the Southeastern Bay of Biscay in 2023, with gillnets and longlines most commonly lost; beach surveys identified 7.6% of collected items as fishing-related, predominantly mending pieces composed of polyethylene and polypropylene.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Netting the problem: a comprehensive analysis of marine litter on artisanal fishers

A systematic global review found that while marine litter's ecological impacts are well-documented, research on its socioeconomic effects on artisanal fishing communities is sparse—revealing significant financial losses, gear damage, and safety risks that disproportionately affect small-scale fishers.

2025 Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing a Circular Economy for Fishing Gear in the Northern Periphery and Arctic Region: Challenges and Opportunities

This paper examines the challenges and opportunities for creating a circular economy for fishing gear — including lost and abandoned nets — in the Arctic and Northern European region. Discarded fishing gear is a major source of ocean plastic pollution, and recovering and recycling it could significantly reduce marine litter in these remote waters.

2023 1 citations