Can biodegradable materials reduce plastic pollution without decreasing catch efficiency in longline fishery?

Longlining is a widely used fishing method. During longline fishing, some of the snoods connecting the hooks to the mainline are often lost at sea. Since snoods are made of nylon or polyester, lost snoods contribute to marine plastic pollution. Replacing nylon or polyester with a new material made o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2022-05, Vol.178, p.113577-113577, Article 113577
Main Authors: Cerbule, Kristine, Grimaldo, Eduardo, Herrmann, Bent, Larsen, Roger B., Brčić, Jure, Vollstad, Jørgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Atlantic cod
Biodegradability
Biodegradable fishing gear
Biodegradable materials
Biodegradation
Bioplastics
Connecting
Efficiency
Fisheries
Fishing
Fishing methods
Gadiformes
Gadus morhua
Haddock
Hooks
Longline fishing
Marine fishes
Marine pollution
Microplastic pollution
Microplastics
Nylon
Nylons
Plastic debris
Plastic pollution
Plastics
Pollution
Pollution control
Polyesters
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Longlining is a widely used fishing method. During longline fishing, some of the snoods connecting the hooks to the mainline are often lost at sea. Since snoods are made of nylon or polyester, lost snoods contribute to marine plastic pollution. Replacing nylon or polyester with a new material made of biodegradable plastics can potentially reduce macro- and microplastic pollution that is caused by lost snoods. In this study, we estimated the risk for snood loss in a longline fishery targeting haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus (Linnaeus, 1758)) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758)) in Barents Sea. Further, we compared catch efficiency in this fishery for snoods made of biodegradable and nylon materials. No significant differences were found between the two materials. Therefore, catch efficiency does not represent a barrier for using biodegradable materials in snoods. •Lost snoods made of nylon or polyester contribute to marine plastic pollution.•Use of biodegradable materials in snoods has potential to reduce plastic pollution.•Biodegradable snoods did not show difference in estimated risk of snood loss.•No significant difference in catch efficiency between the materials was shown.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113577