Eduardo Grimaldo, Christian W Karl, Anja Alvestad, Anna-Maria Persson, Stephan Kubowicz, Kjell Olafsen, Hanne Hjelle Hatlebrekke, Grethe Lilleng, Ilmar Brinkhof
Marine pollution bulletin 2023 NovMarine microplastics generated by wear and tear of bottom trawls and demersal seines during their service life is a growing environmental concern that requires immediate attention. In Norway, these fishing gears account for more than 70 % of the landings of demersal fish species, but they are also the leading sources of microplastics generated by fisheries. Because these two fishing gears are widely used around the world, replacing fossil-based non-degradable plastics with more abrasion-resistant materials, including biodegradable polymers, should contribute to the reduction of marine litter and its associated environmental impacts. However, the lack of available recycling techniques and the need for separate collection of biodegradable polymers means that these materials will most likely be incinerated for energy recovery, which is not favourable from a circular economy perspective. Nonetheless, from an environmental perspective the use of such biodegradable polymers in demersal fisheries could still be a better alternative to standard polymer materials. Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Eduardo Grimaldo, Christian W Karl, Anja Alvestad, Anna-Maria Persson, Stephan Kubowicz, Kjell Olafsen, Hanne Hjelle Hatlebrekke, Grethe Lilleng, Ilmar Brinkhof. Reducing plastic pollution caused by demersal fisheries. Marine pollution bulletin. 2023 Nov;196:115634
PMID: 37813057
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