On a mission to end ghost fishing and plastic pollution in our oceans through better marine gear.
Catchgreen develops high-performance biodegradable marine gear for the fishing and aquaculture industries.
Our product range includes ropes, twine, nets, and other marine products designed for demanding working conditions.
Proven in real seaweed-farming conditions
Catchgreen biodegradable ropes were tested for 36 months in nursery and community seaweed farms on the Kenyan coast. They remained functional under high temperatures, strong UV exposure, currents, and repeated handling, while achieving approximately 8.5 % higher average productivity than conventional ropes.
The hidden costs of plastics marine gear
Fishing and aquaculture depend on strong, durable nets, ropes, lines, cages and other equipment. But when this gear is lost, abandoned or reaches the end of its useful life, the same durability that makes it effective can turn into a long-term environmental threat.
Marine gear must perform in the water without persisting forever
Biodegradable gear for real marine applications
Catchgreen develops high-performance biodegradable ropes, twines, nets and marine products for fishing, aquaculture and other ocean industries.
Our products are designed to remain strong and functional throughout their intended use while reducing long-term environmental persistence if lost.
We work with fishers, fleets, aquaculture producers, seaweed farmers, research organisations and marine programmes to develop products for specific applications and working conditions.
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Fishing and aquaculture gear must withstand salt water, UV exposure, abrasion and repeated use.
But when conventional plastic gear is lost, its durability becomes a problem. It can continue trapping marine life, damaging habitats and breaking down into microplastics for decades.
The challenge is to create gear that performs reliably during use, while reducing long-term persistence if lost.
This is the challenge Catchgreen is working to solve.
Biodegradable marine gear cannot simply degrade quickly.
It must first perform safely and reliably during use.
Catchgreen products are developed around the principle of controlled durability. This means they are designed to provide the strength and functionality required for their intended service life, while progressively losing integrity following prolonged environmental exposure if lost.
Performance depends on the application, product design, material formulation, thickness, construction and environmental conditions.
For this reason, every Catchgreen product is developed and tested for a defined use.
Designed for performance first
Products for fishing and aquaculture
Ropes and twines
Biodegradable ropes, braids and twines developed for fishing, aquaculture, seaweed farming, traps, pots and other marine applications.
Seaweed farming products
Field tested grow ropes, tie-ties and farming lines designed for repeated handling and long-term use in demanding coastal conditions.
Fishing gear components
Ropes, lines, joining materials and structural components for gillnets, traps, pots, longlines and other fishing gear.
FAD components
Biodegradable ropes, twines, panels and other components are being developed for use in fish aggregating devices. We are working with the IATTC and international partners to develop and field-test these solutions in support of the 2029 goal of fully biodegradable FADs.
Nets and new marine products
Biodegradable knotless netting, flotation systems and other products are being developed and validated with specialist partners. Product-specific manufactriing trials and field validation are still required.
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Developed and tested with marine users and research partners
Fishing gear
Catchgreen products have been tested in gillnets, basket traps, lobster pots, and other fishing applications.
The trials help evaluate catch performance, handling, durability, and product design under real operational conditions.
Seaweed farming
Biodegradable ropes were tested over 18 months in nursery and community seaweed farms on the Kenyan coast.
The ropes remained functional under strong UV exposure, high temperatures, currents, repeated handling and demanding farming conditions.
In the nursery trials, the biodegradable ropes achieved average productivity approximately 8.5% higher than the conventional comparison ropes under the specific trial conditions.
Nets and new products
Our biodegradable knotless netting is being developed for fishing and aquaculture uses, including mussel socks and other net-based structures. Each application will require manufacturing trials and field testing before commercial use.
FADs
Catchgreen is exploring biodegradable ropes, twines, panels, and other components for fish aggregating devices. These products have not yet been field tested and will require application-specific manufacturing trials and validation before commercial use