We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Biodegradable fishing gears: A potential solution to ghost fishing and marine plastic pollution
ClearCan biodegradable materials reduce plastic pollution without decreasing catch efficiency in longline fishery?
Researchers tested biodegradable plastic snoods as replacements for nylon in longline fisheries targeting cod and haddock, evaluating whether the eco-friendly materials could reduce marine plastic pollution from lost gear without compromising fishing performance.
The effect of long-term use on the catch efficiency of biodegradable gillnets
Researchers tested biodegradable gillnets over three fishing seasons and found they caught up to 47% fewer fish than standard nylon nets as they degraded faster over time. Despite lower catch efficiency, biodegradable nets could significantly reduce plastic pollution from lost fishing gear in the ocean.
Biodegradable fishing gear: A sustainable solution to ghost net pollution in marine environments
This study reviews biodegradable fishing gear based on copolyesters such as PBSAT and PBSA as sustainable alternatives to conventional polyamide nets, which persist in the ocean as ghost gear and generate microplastics. The authors assess the degradation performance, mechanical properties, and environmental profiles of biodegradable gear materials, finding them promising candidates for reducing ghost net pollution.
Fishing efficiency of biodegradable PBSAT gillnets and conventional nylon gillnets used in Norwegian cod (Gadus morhua) and saithe (Pollachius virens) fisheries
Fishing trials in Norway found that biodegradable PBSAT gillnets performed comparably to conventional nylon gillnets for catching cod and saithe. Biodegradable fishing nets represent a promising way to reduce the amount of lost gear — ghost fishing gear — that contributes to plastic pollution and microplastic generation in the ocean.
Biodegradable Nets: The Next Wave of Sustainable Fishing
This review examined biodegradable fishing nets made from materials like PLA and PBS as alternatives to conventional synthetic nets that contribute to ghost fishing and microplastic pollution when abandoned. The authors found that biodegradable nets match the functional performance of synthetic ones while degrading in marine environments, though deployment scale and cost-effectiveness remain barriers to adoption.
Biodegradable Nets: The Next Wave of Sustainable Fishing
This review examined biodegradable fishing nets made from materials like PLA and PBS as alternatives to conventional synthetic nets that contribute to ghost fishing and microplastic pollution when abandoned. The authors found that biodegradable nets match the functional performance of synthetic ones while degrading in marine environments, though deployment scale and cost-effectiveness remain barriers to adoption.
Influence of knot strength on the mechanical performance of a biodegradable gillnet
Researchers compared conventional nylon (PA6) gillnets to biodegradable alternative nets and found the biodegradable material lost even more strength at knots than expected from its weaker base fiber, making it less suitable as a direct replacement. Developing effective biodegradable fishing gear is important because lost or abandoned plastic nets — called ghost gear — are a major source of marine microplastic pollution.
Discovery of the Marine Biodegradability of Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 Copolymer Fishing Lines
Researchers discovered that novel Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 copolymer fishing line formulations biodegrade in marine environments, addressing a major challenge since conventional fishing lines persist indefinitely in seawater and entangle marine wildlife.
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.
Reducing plastic pollution caused by demersal fisheries
Bottom trawling and demersal seining fishing gear steadily shed microplastics into the ocean as they wear down, and in Norway alone they account for over 70% of demersal fish catches while also being among the top sources of fishery-related microplastic pollution. Switching to biodegradable polymer alternatives for these nets could reduce marine plastic litter, even if end-of-life incineration rather than recycling remains the likely disposal route.
Eco-friendly Fishing Gear and Sustainable Materials: A Review
This review examines the shift toward eco-friendly fishing gear — including biodegradable polymers, GPS-enabled retrieval systems, and modular designs — as a way to reduce the massive amount of microplastic pollution caused by abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets and lines. Case studies from the EU, Japan, the US, and elsewhere show promising results, but barriers like cost and fisher awareness still limit widespread adoption. Addressing lost fishing gear is important because it is one of the ocean's largest sources of persistent plastic debris.
Distinct toxicity profiles of conventional and biodegradable fishing nets’ leachates after artificial aging
Researchers compared the toxicity of chemical leachates released by conventional and biodegradable fishing nets after simulated aging. They found that biodegradable nets made from PBS-PBAT released compounds that were significantly more toxic to marine bacteria and disrupted fish larval behavior more than conventional net leachates. The study suggests that biodegradable fishing gear, while intended to reduce plastic waste, may pose its own environmental risks as it breaks down.
Ghost fishing capacity of lost experimental gillnets: a preliminary study from Indian waters
Researchers found that lost experimental gillnets in Indian waters continued to catch fish and invertebrates for months after abandonment, confirming that discarded synthetic fishing gear poses a significant and lasting threat to marine life through ghost fishing.
Biodegradation in Composting Conditions of PBEAS Monofilaments for the Sustainable End‐Use of Fishing Nets
Researchers demonstrated that PBEAS, a novel biodegradable copolymer, can degrade under industrial composting conditions and serves as a viable sustainable replacement for conventional nylon in fishing nets, potentially reducing the environmental impact of lost or discarded fishing gear.
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.
Ghost Fishing Gear: An Overlooked Threat in Marine Debris Management
This review examines the problem of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear, often called ghost gear, which continues to catch and kill marine life long after it is lost at sea. The synthetic materials in this gear break down into microplastics and damage ecosystems including coral reefs, seagrass beds, and seafloor habitats. The authors call for stronger policies, biodegradable fishing materials, and better gear tracking technologies to address this overlooked source of ocean plastic pollution.
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.
Alternative Rope Materials in Towed Fishing Gear to Reduce Plastic Waste, A Comparative Study of Mechanical Properties and Tolerance Against Wear and Tear
Researchers compared the wear tolerance of 14 different rope materials in demersal fisheries, including conventional synthetic polymers and biodegradable alternatives, to identify lower-plastic options that can reduce fishing gear-derived plastic waste.
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.
The effect of biodegradable plastics on microplastic accumulation and exposure
Researchers developed a comprehensive method to quantify microplastic accumulation from biodegradable polymers in natural environments, examining whether biodegradable alternatives actually reduce plastic loads compared to conventional polymers under real-world outdoor conditions.
Biodegradable plastics in the marine environment: a potential source of risk?
This review examines whether biodegradable plastics offer a genuine solution to marine plastic pollution, finding that their environmental behavior depends heavily on specific conditions and that they may still pose risks in marine environments where decomposition is slow.
Review of biodegradable materials for aquaculture nets: Environmental performance and potential to reduce marine plastic pollution.
Researchers reviewed advances in biodegradable polymer alternatives — including polyhydroxyalkanoates and starch-based blends — for aquaculture nets and ropes, finding promising mechanical stability and controlled biodegradation in field trials but identifying ongoing challenges in balancing operational durability with timely degradation and the absence of harmonized marine biodegradation standards.
Switching to bioplastic may exacerbate ingestion of lost and discarded fishing gear by marine invertebrates
Researchers found that biodegradable fishing gear (soft plastic lures) can gain or lose up to 70% of their weight in seawater over 14 days, and that both new and preconditioned biodegradable lures were ingested by soldier crabs and green paddle worms, suggesting that switching to bioplastic fishing gear may actually increase ingestion risk for marine invertebrates.
The Effect of Fishing Nets Aging on Metal Uptake
Researchers found that aged, end-of-life polyethylene fishing nets adsorb 2–20 times more heavy metals like chromium, copper, lead, and selenium than new nets, raising concerns about the chemical hazards of discarded plastic fishing gear in marine environments.