Handbags and clutches made from mangled crusty knots of fishing nets picked up from the bottom of the ocean, bracelets from discarded mess of fishing gear and odecorative string lights made from ocean trash. Sea-Ta, a Visakhapatnam-based startup, has been giving new life to hazardous plastic marine litter by upcycling it into fancy wearables.
Launched recently, Sea-Ta is a part of the marine litter upcycling project by Green Waves Environmental Solutions, launched in 2019 with an objective to address the issue of ghost nets and their impact on marine life.
Volunteers collecting ghost gear or discarded fishing nets as part of a project by Greenwaves Environmental Solutions in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Special Arrangement | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ghost gear
Discarded, lost or abandoned fishing gear, commonly referred to as ghost gear, contributes significantly to marine plastic pollution and are a mortal threat to whales, dolphins, turtles and other marine creatures.
A report by Greenpeace estimates 6.40 lakh tonnes of ghost gear enter the ocean every year, making up 10 % of the plastic waste in the ocean. It also represents a much higher proportion of plastics found floating on the ocean surface.
Decorative string lights made from ghost gear or discarded fishing nets as part of a project by Greenwaves Environmental Solutions in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Special Arrangement | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Green Waves’ marine litter upcycling project is being implemented along with its conservation wing, Green Paw. So far, it has launched five products and is working on seven prototypes. “We started our prototyping initially by regular coastal cleanups with items like bands, bracelets and pouches. As the products are made out of upcycled litter taken from the sea, we named the each with a prefix related to marine organisms. For instance, the Moray Multibag, Coral Clutch and Puffin Pen Stands,” says Sai Brahmani, Project Head from Green Waves.
Discarded fishing nets or ghost gear in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Special Arrangement | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Through various coastal cleanups, the organisation retrieved more than 50 kilograms of ghost gear from Visakhapatnam coast and 30 kilograms from Goa in 2021 and is currently working on collecting ghost gear in Kerala coast.
Working with the community
This initiative is also intended to provide alternative livelihood options for the coastal fishing community.
So, it is being implemented in close collaboration with the fisherfolk communities, through awareness programmes, surveys and workshops. “We are also conducting community building awareness programmes in association with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on the impact of ghost gear menace and how it can be addressed. We hope the initiative leads to a greater impact to save the seas,” says Honey Seles, Green Project’s Coordinator from Greenwaves.
How does ghost gear end up in the oceans?
As part of the project, discarded fish nets are collected at identified mending sites with the involvement of fishing community, then treated to make it suitable for upcycling. “The idea is to help fisherfolk implement simple everyday measures such as not dumping old fishing gear in the ocean, moving away from fishing zones that regularly trap fishing line or nets, and ensuring that fishing ropes are responsibly discarded,” says Honey.
Coral clutch made from ghost gear or discarded fishing nets as part of a project by Greenwaves Environmental Solutions in Visakhapatnam. Photo: Special Arrangement | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Green Waves is also conducting awareness programmes at various educational institutions in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam and regular coastal cleanup activities at various places to collect and segregate marine litter. “Along with ghost gear upcycling we are also working on glass bottle upcycling under this project to produce a variety of artifacts. We are launching the products in a phased manner to make people use more upcycled products on the note of sustainability,” says Naga Murali, coordinator from Green Paw.
