Abandoned, Lost, or Discarded Fishing Gear and Vessels (ALDFG/ALDFV) form a smaller fraction of total marine litter compared to domestic plastic waste, yet their ecological and economic consequences are high. ALDFG/ALDFV severely impacts marine biodiversity through entanglement and ingestion by fauna, damages benthic habitats, hampers fishing operations, and creates navigational hazards. Moreover, both fishing gear and Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) debris derived from abandoned fishing boats contribute to secondary microplastics and heavy metal pollution in the marine environment. Despite these challenges, limited research exists on end-of-life management and recycling pathways for ALDFG and FRP debris from fishing vessels. To address this gap, ICAR-CIFT is developing technological interventions to convert fishing-related plastics into useful products, supporting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.1 and India’s National Action Plan on Marine plastic Litter from sea-based sources. Systematic retrieval of ALDFG/ALDFV (FRP debris) was carried out from beaches, nearshore waters, and landing centres along the Kerala Coast. The recovered materials were alkali-cleaned and characterized to identify polymer types and degradation stages. Polyamide (PA) monofilament gillnets were identified as the dominant fishing-related plastic. Based on their quality, PA nets were sorted, shredded, and explored for upcycling potential. Shredded ALDFG and pulverised FRP debris were incorporated into cementitious composites by replacing 25% of natural sand and substituting conventional glass fibre reinforcement completely (100%) with shredded PA material, thereby conserving virgin resources. The developed composites exhibited good mechanical properties and water resistance, and were moulded into various architectural structures. Work is also being initiated to convert high-quality PA pellets from ALDFG into textile and geotextile fibres for applications such as apparel, industrial fabrics, erosion-control mats, and coastal protection under the NFDB-funded project “Exploring the Possibilities of Upcycling Abandoned, Lost, or Discarded Fishing Nets (ALDFG) into Textile/Geo-textile Applications. This initiative demonstrates that targeted, science-based management of even smaller fractions of marine litter can significantly advance circular economy practices, reduce marine plastic pollution, and support sustainable fisheries and coastal ecosystem management.
Keywords: Marine litter, Fishing plastics, ALDFG, Recycling