Papers

61,005 results
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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

Fishing net waste management: quantification and valorization

Abandoned and discarded fishing nets are a major source of microplastics in the ocean because they are made of synthetic fibers that slowly fragment over time. This study quantified the volume of fishing net waste generated in a Portuguese fishing port and evaluated strategies for diverting it from landfill toward recycling and material recovery. Effective management of fishing gear waste is a practical lever for reducing one of the most persistent sources of marine microplastic pollution.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science 1 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
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

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

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

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

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

Life cycle inventory of plastics losses from seafood supply chains: Methodology and application to French fish products

Researchers developed a life cycle inventory methodology for quantifying plastic losses from seafood supply chains, applying it to French fish products to identify key stages where plastic enters the environment from fishing through retail.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 35 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

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

Life cycle assessment (LCA) on waste management options for derelict fishing gear

Researchers used life cycle assessment to compare four waste management options for derelict fishing gear retrieved from the ocean, including mechanical recycling, syngas production, energy recovery, and landfill disposal. They found that mechanical recycling and energy recovery had the lowest environmental impacts, while syngas production and landfilling were not competitive due to high energy requirements or insufficient offset credits. The study provides guidance for establishing environmentally sound waste management systems for this growing marine litter waste stream.

2023 The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Designing a Value-Added Tax-integrated recovery scheme for Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear: Science–policy integration and decision-support for Vietnam’s fisheries

Researchers designed a VAT-integrated recovery scheme for abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear in Vietnam, finding through a survey of 1,525 fishers that refunding the 5% VAT on new gear in exchange for returning recovered gear at ports — combined with allowing fishers to retain informal resale proceeds — could substantially increase participation in circular economy recovery programs.

2025
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

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

Plastic Recovery and Utilization: From Ocean Pollution to Green Economy

This review examines strategies for recovering and utilizing ocean plastic waste within a green economy framework, covering collection technologies, recycling pathways, and circular economy approaches to transform marine plastic pollution into valuable resources.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 25 citations
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

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

Polypropylene Recovery and Recycling from Mussel Nets

Researchers investigated chemical oxidation using hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid to remove biofilm from polypropylene mussel-farming nets to enable polymer recovery and recycling, finding that oxidation successfully detached organic matter while FTIR spectra and tensile tests confirmed the recovered polypropylene retained properties comparable to virgin material.

2022 Polymers 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable production of marine equipment in a circular economy: deepening in material and energy flows, best available techniques and toxicological impacts

Researchers examined the environmental impacts of marine leisure equipment production within a circular economy framework, analyzing material and energy flows, best available techniques, and toxicological impacts to identify opportunities for more sustainable manufacturing practices.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling Marine Plastic into Clothing Apparel via Global Collaborations

This paper describes initiatives to collect marine plastic waste and convert it into clothing apparel through international collaborations, presenting this as an approach to both cleaning up ocean plastic and creating commercial value. While recycling marine plastic into textiles diverts waste from the ocean, washing synthetic fabrics made from recycled plastic releases microfibers that re-enter water systems. The paper does not address this recycling paradox.

2021 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 4 citations
Article Tier 2

An Overview of the Current Trends in Marine Plastic Litter Management for a Sustainable Development

This review summarizes current knowledge about marine plastic litter, from its land-based origins to its distribution across ocean environments, and evaluates recovery and recycling strategies. Researchers found that while technologies for collecting and recycling marine plastics are advancing, significant economic and logistical barriers remain. The study emphasizes that a circular economy approach, combining prevention, collection, and material recovery, is essential for addressing ocean plastic pollution.

2024 Recycling 30 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 2 citations