The world's first PBAT-based biodegradable gill net
On October 13, NICHIMO, a major Japanese fishing net and fishing gear manufacturer, announced that it has developed the world’s first biodegradable thorn made of biodegradable resin polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) as the main raw material. net.
The network was developed by Nichimo in collaboration with Hokkaido Nichimo, Yokoyama Seimo, and Miyako Kagaku. This product is biodegradable. When it falls to the seabed during operations or is washed away due to bad weather, its physical properties will be reduced due to hydrolysis, thereby inhibiting ghost fishing.
NICHIMO is promoting research and development of practical applications of marine materials (fishing nets, ropes, kite basins, etc.) using biodegradable plastics and working to increase our corporate value.
"Ghost fishing" refers to lost or abandoned fishing nets, long ropes, fishing gear, etc., which are still catching creatures in the ocean without management, and no one makes any profit from fishing. They are affecting already Depleted commercial fish stocks. Caught fish die, which in turn attracts scavengers, which are also caught, creating a vicious cycle.
Ghost gear is one of the biggest killers in the ocean, and not just because of their abundance. The hundreds of kilometers of fishing nets and ropes that are lost every year are made of corrosion-resistant materials and will continue to catch fish for years, even centuries.
According to statistics, approximately 640,000 tons of fishing gear are left in the ocean every year. Ocean currents and winds carry thousands of kilometers of ghost fishing gear around, and even remote Antarctica is not immune to this pollution, which affects every inch of the planet's oceans. More than 800 species of animals, including multiple endangered species and marine mammals, are affected by ghost fishing, and they become trapped in waste nets and eventually drown.
