French fishermen have tested equipment that could degrade 40 times faster than conventional nylon nets. Sailors from Boulogne-sur-Mer, Fécamp and Le Tréport tested biodegradable and recyclable fishing nets for three years.
The project was launched by the Parc naturel marin des estuaires picardy et de la Mer d'Opale, whose managers regularly find microplastics from fishing nets on beaches. It remains to remove one last brake: the cost of the product, 10 to 20% more expensive than a conventional net.