Biodegradable fishing gears: A potential solution to ghost fishing and marine plastic pollution
Fishing gear such as nets and lines are typically made from polyamide (PA), a highly durable plastic material that can remain in the ocean for extremely long periods if lost. This leads to so-called “ghost fishing,” where abandoned gear continues to catch fish and other organisms while also contributing to marine litter and microplastic pollution.
In the study, researchers examined how two biodegradable plastics – PBSAT and PBSA – degrade compared with conventional nylon. Using accelerated ageing experiments, they analysed how the materials lose strength over time through hydrolysis, meaning chemical breakdown in water.
The results show that the biodegradable materials degrade significantly faster than standard nylon. Model calculations suggest that it may take around 10 years for PBSAT and about 20 years for PBSA to lose half of their strength at low ocean temperatures, while conventional nylon could take around 1000 years to reach the same level of degradation.
The researchers conclude that using biodegradable materials in fishing gear could be an important measure to reduce the long-term environmental impacts of lost fishing gear in the ocean. At the same time, they note that the materials must still remain durable enough to function properly during normal fishing operations.
