3R-Fish

Pilot: nets and gear out of use

 

The Pilot collection nets and gear out of use takes place in the ports of Marin and Ribeira, both part of the project consortium and in the ports of Vigo and A Coruña, whose external Port Authorities are partners of the same. In these ports, which is most of the fishing fleet Galicia, were fitted zones for collection and accumulation of networks generated by the fleet.

Fishing nets, formerly made of natural fibers, are currently manufactured entirely of various synthetic fibers, mainly polyethylene and polyamide and polypropylene items. As plastics are these networks, ending up in the marine environment is not degraded by the action of the elements, but will have a capacity to remain very high, carrying a number of impacts as the so-called ghost fishing (drift nets that continue to catch fish and other marine animals). Waste generation networks is common to all ports in the presence of fishing fleet, although depending on the fleet and fishing methods that employ the types of waste collected will be different in each port.

 

Although other plastics are usually recycled in the case of networks present additional difficulties for processing, such as the separation of the different materials forming the networks, or fishing residues or other residues that can be mixed during collection and removal of sand and salt content than the networks accumulate inside after prolonged use.

After locating recyclers willing to receive the networks and adapt their processes to this type of waste, logistics materialize between waste managers and port authorities involved, and with some companies rederas, pickups starting in summer 2009.