Four huge worn-out midwater trawl nets that in old times might have been buried in a landfill are instead being repurposed into usable new products and protection for Ukrainians from explosive Russian drones.
The efforts of over 100 volunteers from Seattle’s wild Alaska pollock catcher-processor fleet hunkered down in 80-degree heat at Terminal 91 on Thursday, May 28, offered both environmental and financial benefits to American Seafoods, Arctic Storm Management Group, Coastal Villages Region Fund, Glacier FIsh Company and Trident Seafoods, all members of the At-Sea Processors Association.
“It’s always one of my favorite days of the year, not only because I am outside doing physical labor with industry friends and colleagues, but because the industry has come together for a common cause,” said Tim Fitzgerlad, chief sustainability officer for American Seafoods. “It shows that this type of effort is not proprietary. Better recycling of the fishing gear is good for the whole industry. We come together and reengage at a higher level.”
This was the second annual Net Recycling Day for the five major fishing firms, who collaborate with the non-profit entity Net Your Problem to repurpose thousands of pounds of worn-out fishing gear. Net components include three major types of plastics: nylon polyethylene and polypropylene, all of which can be mechanically recycled into plastic pellets. The pellets are sold to companies who produce playground equipment plastic lumber and outdoor furniture, garden tools and more.
Most of these nets are made by Swan Net in Seattle, NET Systems, Inc. on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and Egersund Net in Norway…