Issue 2-Piloting Gillnets

Real-life ocean pilots

KMFRI, MOMBASA

The Catchgreen project has partnered with the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Institute (KMFRI) to pilot Biodolomer®Ocean twine for modified gill nets. The inception meeting for these pilots occurred in Mombasa, Kenya where fishermen from the Mikindani Beach Management Unit (BMU) demonstrated how they had modified gill nets to replace the headlines and leadlines with the biodegradable twine. The modified gill nets are designed to prevent ghost fishing and reduce toxic plastic accumulation in the marine environment. Biodolomer®Ocean, if lost or at its end of use will break down into biomass, water, and carbon dioxides. The real-life ocean pilots will confirm the fishing efficiency of the modified nets.

Gill net modification

A BALANCE BETWEEN STRENGTH AND EFFICIENCY

The pilot of the modified gill nets is a continuation of an FAO-funded project that replaced the synthetic twine used to hang multifilament net to the headline with twisted cotton. The modified design of the nets allows for the cotton to break down and the nets to collapse should the nets be lost, thus preventing ghost fishing. The nets can then be retrieved through a buoy and float system. By adding Biodolomer®Ocean twine to the design, the impact of the nest, should they be lost, is significantly reduced. The pilots include composting trials of old and discharged nets in Biodolomer®Ocean to reduce the amount of plastics accumulating on land and in the ocean.

The impacts of abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) are particularly concerning in Africa, where more than 200 million people rely on fish for high-quality low-cost protein and approximately 12 million people are employed in the fishing sector. The impacts of ALDFG pose a serious threat to food security, long-term economic growth, the viability of marine ecosystems, and the development of a vibrant and productive blue economy. Using biodegradable materials to manufacture fishing gear can provide a viable solution to tackling ocean plastic pollution, by providing substitution material from which to make fishing-related equipment such as the modified gill nets.