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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Biodegradable Nets: The Next Wave of Sustainable Fishing
ClearBiodegradable 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 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.
Biodegradable fishing gears: A potential solution to ghost fishing and marine plastic pollution
Researchers evaluated biodegradable materials as alternatives to conventional nylon fishing gear to reduce ghost fishing and marine plastic pollution. They found that biodegradable nets caught fish at comparable rates but broke down much faster in ocean conditions, significantly reducing their long-term environmental impact. The study suggests that switching to biodegradable fishing gear could meaningfully reduce marine litter and the ongoing harm caused by lost or abandoned nets.
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.
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.
Influence of Green Nanofillers on the Morphological, Mechanical Properties, and Degradation Kinetics of PBS/PBAT Blends: A Potential Sustainable Strategy for Fisheries Applications
Researchers developed biodegradable polymer blends reinforced with nanochitin and nanocellulose — materials derived from natural sources — as a potential replacement for synthetic nylon fishing nets. The bio-based nanofillers improved the mechanical strength and altered degradation rates of the PBS/PBAT blends, bringing performance closer to what is needed for real fishing applications. Replacing synthetic nylon with biodegradable alternatives could meaningfully reduce ghost fishing and the microplastic pollution that comes from fragmenting nets in the ocean.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Biodegradable Polymers: The Future of Sustainable Plastic Alternatives
This review examines biodegradable polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, evaluating their potential to reduce microplastic pollution and ecological degradation. The authors assess the performance, environmental fate, and scalability of current biodegradable materials, identifying key challenges for widespread adoption across packaging and consumer product applications.
Potential environmental impacts of bioplastic degradation in natural marine environments: A comprehensive review
This review examines the environmental impacts of biodegradable plastics degrading in marine environments, finding that their microscale breakdown raises significant concerns about contributing to microplastic pollution rather than eliminating it. The authors conclude that biodegradable plastics require reevaluation as petroleum-based plastic substitutes given the incomplete understanding of their behavior at the microscale in marine ecosystems.
Solution or Pollution? A paradigm shifts in understanding the fate and threats of biodegradable plastics in the marine environment
This review challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are inherently eco-friendly by examining their degradation behavior in marine environments. Researchers found that biodegradable plastics often require specific conditions to break down and can themselves become sources of microplastic pollution when those conditions are not met. The study highlights a significant research gap in understanding the fate of biodegradable nano- and pico-plastics in marine ecosystems.
Biodegradable plastics in aquatic ecosystems: latest findings, research gaps, and recommendations
This review challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to aquatic ecosystems, finding that many materials labeled as biodegradable do not fully break down in natural water environments. Researchers found that these plastics can persist in aquatic settings and pose similar risks to wildlife as conventional plastics, including ingestion and chemical leaching. The study recommends more rigorous testing of biodegradability claims under real-world aquatic conditions.
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.
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.
Can 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 degradation of single-use plastics and commercially viable bioplastics in the environment: A review
Researchers reviewed how conventional single-use plastics degrade over decades in natural environments versus how bioplastics biodegrade, finding that while alternatives like PBS and PHA show genuine biodegradation potential, most require specific industrial composting conditions that are rarely available in practice.
Exploring biopolymer degradation: Environmental effects and future insights
This review examines how biopolymers degrade in the environment and evaluates their potential as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. While biopolymers offer environmental benefits like reduced pollution, the study notes challenges including slower-than-expected degradation in natural settings, potential microplastic generation, and the need for better standardized testing and supportive policies.
Generation of Microplastics from Biodegradable Packaging Films Based on PLA, PBS and Their Blend in Freshwater and Seawater
Researchers studied how biodegradable plastic films made from PLA, PBS, and their blends break down in freshwater and seawater over several months. All films generated microplastic particles as they degraded, with different water environments producing different amounts and types of fragments. This study challenges the idea that biodegradable plastics are a clean solution, since they still create microplastics during breakdown in natural water systems.
Biodegradable Plastics: New Materials and Their Role in Combating Environmental Pollution
This review examined biodegradable plastics — including PLA, PHA, and starch-based materials — as replacements for conventional plastics, evaluating their mechanical properties, biodegradation rates, and environmental benefits. It found biodegradable plastics offer real advantages but face challenges in cost and end-of-life infrastructure.