Abandoned fishing nets pose a major threat to marine life, but clothing manufacturers worldwide are working to turn the deadly trash into wearable treasures

An abandoned net drifts through the ocean just beneath the surface — silent, unseen and deadly, like a ghost. Snagged in its fibers are dozens of creatures, fish that no one will ever harvest: sharks, sea turtles and even sea birds.

“Ghost nets keep fishing practically forever,” says Vassilis Stamogiannis, director of the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles. “Fish and marine animals get caught on them and die, which attracts other marine life, and the circle keeps repeating.”

Every year, about 640,000 tons of fishing gear and nets — enough to fill 90,000 double-decker buses — are lost or abandoned in our oceans. Scientists say this gear might kill more fish than it did when in active use and, according to World Animal Protection, ghost nets kill at least 136,000 seals, sea lions and large whales each year.

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Fishing activity continues to increase around the globe, and many nets are made from materials, such as nylon, that can last hundreds of years in the water. So this problem won’t go away anytime soon, and it may be getting worse. The rising cost of disposing of nets on land leads more people to abandon them at sea.

Several groups have started collecting these nets to recycle them into textiles for a variety of uses, including, in a nifty circle-of-life sort of way, making bathing suits.

One, the Healthy Seas Initiative, is a collaboration involving the European Expertise Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainability with Italian textile manufacturer Aquafil Group, sock-maker Starsock in the Netherlands, and a variety of other partners, including MEDASSET. Under this initiative, some 75 volunteer technical divers have recovered more than 150 tons of nets from the North, Adriatic and Mediterranean seas since 2013. Some fishermen have even started bringing their derelict nets to the organization, Stamogiannis says, and reported where they have seen ghost nets in the water.

Collection efforts are also underway across the globe. Specially trained volunteer divers invest a lot of preparation and a great deal of gear, spending up to four and five hours underwater to bring up nets.

Aquafil developed a process to turn these nets into a quality yarn called Econyl. First, a facility in Slovenia shreds, compacts and bags nets for transport to a plant in the heart of the country, which transforms them into the raw material for first-grade nylon using a method called polymerization. This same method is used with virgin raw material, but every 10,000 tons of regenerated material saves an estimated 70,000 barrels of oil over virgin material (standard nylon is made from petroleum). Textile and apparel manufacturers use the recycled yarn in socks, swimwear, underwear and sportswear.

Fourth Element, a producer of casual and technical dive wear, established a line called OceanPositive, making swimwear and rash guards from a 70 percent Econyl-fiber fabric. “Our objective is producing something that is practical and good-looking,” says Fourth Element co-founder Jim Standing. “People will want to wear it, not just because they’re doing something practical for the ocean, although that is a huge part of it.”

Stamogiannis agrees. “I have a lot of swimsuits made with Econyl, and they are honestly the best I have ever had.”

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While removing ghost nets from the open ocean requires special training, Stamogiannis says recreational divers who come across easily accessible, small nets can bring them to Healthy Seas. More important, divers can help by engaging with fishermen and encouraging them to participate in recovery programs.

“Fishermen have been really positive and willing to participate,” he adds.

Divers can also help, of course, when they buy products created from recycled nets. Helping save the seas could hardly be easier.

Feel-Good Fashion

Want to sport sustainable threads? Check out these companies that are doing their part to curb the effects of marine debris.

Bureo

Through its Net Positiva program, Bureo collects discarded fishing nets to create skateboards, body surfing boards and sunglasses. bureoskateboards.com

Fourth Element’s OceanPositive swimwear

Fourth Element’s fashionable dive-friendly Ocean Positive swimwear line uses fabric made from Econyl and Lycra. fourthelement.com

Shapes in the Sand swimwear

All Shapes in the Sand swimwear is made with 100 percent recycled materials. shapesinthesand.com.au

Koru swimwear and rash guards

Koru uses 100 percent regenerated polyamide made by Econyl to craft its swimwear. koruswimwear.com

Everybody Sun & Swimwear

One percent of all orders are donated to Healthy Seas. everybodyswimwear.com.au

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