Japanese fishing net and fishing gear manufacturer NICHIMO accelerates the development of polylactic acid (PLA) products
Most fishing materials such as fishing nets and fishing gear are mostly made of petrochemical-sourced plastics. After years of immersion and weathering in the sea, they gradually decompose into microplastics and become a major threat to the environment. In view of this, NICHIMO, a Japanese fishing net and fishing gear manufacturer, is actively promoting the development of products related to biomass plastics, and using polylactic acid (PLA) to try out various fishing materials and confirm its functionality through empirical evidence.
NICHIMO uses various biomass plastics such as polybutylene succinate (PBS), polycaprolactone (PCL), and copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBH) to develop fishery materials. After evaluation, PBS will decompose in the air, while PCL and PHBH decompose too quickly in seawater. Therefore, polylactic acid is confirmed to be the most suitable material in terms of formability and strength. In addition, NICHIMO responds to applications that require flexibility, such as fishing nets, by adding modifiers.
In addition, depending on the type of fishing gear, there are also examples where polylactic acid is used instead of petrochemical plastics to increase catches, such as octopus pots for catching octopuses. Since octopuses smell polylactic acid differently from humans, NICHIMO speculates that octopuses respond to the smell of polylactic acid as fish are lured by bait. If this speculation is further confirmed, even if the price of fishery materials made of biomass plastic is relatively high, it is expected to have its demand.
