Plastics are a key contributor to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and there is scientific consensus that taking steps to reduce plastic production and its accumulation in the ocean is essential to protecting planetary health and a safe and sustainable future. 

The fishing industry is known to contribute substantially to plastic pollution, but despite this, there has been limited focus on solutions, particularly those that address reduction of plastics use. 

Supported by a partnership between academia, fishers and marine managers, this project investigates the viability of natural materials as alternatives to plastics in fishing gear to bring socio-ecological benefits and inform development of a solution to reduce plastic pollution in fisheries.

Historically, the fishing industry used natural materials such as hemp fibre, flax, willow, and cotton to make pots and nets, but the 1960s saw a rapid shift in favour of plastics due to their superior strength, longevity and resistance to degradation. It is these characteristics, however, that make plastics harmful to both marine life and human health when lost in the marine environment. The risk of harm is twofold: firstly, if gear is lost at sea, it can continue to catch organisms, termed 'ghost fishing', and, secondly, degradation of polymer materials occurs through wear and tear, generating microplastics which accumulate in the environment and are known to cause harm.

Despite prevention of biodiversity loss and reduction of plastic pollution being priority areas for Sustainable Development Goals, research on risk from plastics in fisheries is not well established and solutions currently focus on replacement with gear made from biodegradable plastics. While this may bring some benefits, we now understand that these materials do not remove the risk of harm. Finding a viable solution to reducing plastic pollution from fisheries must therefore include consideration of non-plastic materials.

Our work has tested natural material pots, finding that while they fish effectively, they are not a viable alternative to conventional material pots without innovation to improve cost effectiveness. This has, however, highlighted opportunity for use of natural materials and appetite within the fishing community to reduce plastics. 

Current and future work will expand this initial focus to identify opportunities to develop natural material gear that is viable for use at scale by the industry. Crucially, working with the fishing industry and marine managers ensures solutions are practical and policy-relevant.