3 D Printing Applications for Creating Products Made from Reclaimed Fishing Nets Rhiannon Hunt Martin Charter
Fishing nets and ropes may be found drifting in the ocean for a number of reasons, from storm events to snagging, illegal dumping and abandonment (Macfayden et al. 2009) Prior to the introduction of synthetic polymers in the mid to late 20th Century, fishing gear were made from natural fibres, such as hemp and cotton, and would therefore simply biodegrade (Martinussen, 2006) Today, however, synthetic fishing gear lost at sea, otherwise known as 'ghost nets' persist in the marine environment causing significant harm to aquatic life (Macfadyen Brown, 2007) As they are circulated by ocean currents, ghost nets continue to unintentionally catch both target and non target species, exacerbating the dwindling of fish stocks, and causing entanglement of other marine wildlife, including birds and mammals. Adding to existing levels of plastic pollution in the ocean, fragments of fishing nets and other plastic wastes are also often mistaken for food and ingested by aquatic organisms (Moore, 2008) This leads not only to starvation and nutritional deficiency, but also the introduction of contaminants into the food chain, including plastic components and by products, as well as various chemical pollutants present in the ocean, which are known to sorb1 onto polymers (Engler, 2012) The prevention and retrieval of ghost nets is therefore in the interests of fishing communities, whose livelihoods rely on the sustained health and supply of fish stocks. However, presently there exists a lack of infrastructure and direct incentives to support their widespread return and recovery (World Animal Protection, 2014)