The world's first circular fishing seine for the production of Atlantic salmon has been launched and put into operation in two cages at a Grieg Seafood facility in Rogaland, Norway.
The circular net bags were developed and manufactured through a collaboration between Nofir, AKVA Group Egersund Net, Hampidjan, Aquafil, and Grieg Seafood.
The new nets are made from chemically recycled material. This process involves adding chemicals to old plastic, including waste from fish farming, to break it down to the molecular level before it is rebuilt into new polymers without the use of new crude oil.
This method ensures that the recycled plastic retains a sufficiently high quality to be reused.
Karen Kvalheim, Innovation Manager for Research at AKVA Group Egersund Net, explained that it is, "absolutely crucial that the recycled net bags are as durable and robust as the traditional ones" to avoid escapes.
She noted that while mechanical recycling can produce materials of lower quality, the bags made from chemically recycled material show the same quality as traditional nets.
Jostein Iversen, sustainability advisor at Grieg Seafood, stated that the company has a great responsibility to make its operations as “climate-friendly” as possible and places high demands on its suppliers regarding "sustainability".
He added that he hopes the bags one day become competitive and, "perhaps even the new standard in the aquaculture industry".
