SEARCULAR charts the course towards circular fishing gear in Europe

• The European SEARCULAR consortium, comprising 13 research centres and specialist organisations, has worked alongside fishers, net manufacturers and ports for three years to reduce marine litter generated by fishing gear at source.
• The project has developed four solutions — recycled ropes, biodegradable ropes, biodegradable fish aggregating devices (FADs) and Blue Point, a smart port-based collection model — demonstrating that circular fishing gear is technically viable.
• Building on these results, SEARCULAR has published a package of four policy briefs setting out recommendations for advancing the circular economy for fishing gear in Europe.

Pasaia, 6 August 2026. Every year, approximately 26,000 tonnes of end-of-life fishing gear waste reach European ports, representing a major source of plastics and microplastics in the marine environment. To address this problem, the SEARCULAR consortium has spent the past three years working with the fishing sector and the net manufacturing industry to reduce this pollution at source, both at sea and in ports. The results confirm that fishing gear can be designed sustainably from the outset and that these materials can be given a second life through improved waste management and recycling.

Four solutions to rethink fishing gear design

SEARCULAR has developed four solutions that together cover the entire lifecycle of fishing gear. Three of them focus on alternative materials designed from the outset to facilitate end-of-life management: protective ropes, or dolly ropes, manufactured from recycled purse seine nets; the first biodegradable ropes for purse seine nets developed to date; and BIOFADs, biodegradable fish aggregating devices made entirely from natural materials.

The fourth solution, Blue Point, is a smart model that brings these advances together to facilitate the recycling of discarded fishing gear and improve waste management in ports.

Policy recommendations to accelerate the transition

Drawing on the knowledge generated through these four solutions and direct collaboration with fishers and industry, SEARCULAR has published four policy briefs:

• Challenges and opportunities in developing circular fishing gear, which reviews the project’s progress and the main barriers to the uptake of circular gear, and recommends that regulation focus on preventing marine litter at source.
• Biodegradable materials for fishing gear and equipment, which examines how design and alternative materials can contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan.
• Recycled materials for circular fishing gear, which recommends certifying circular fishing gear, setting minimum recycled-content requirements and installing smart port infrastructure. It also includes a proposal for standardised labelling and a Gear Lifecycle Factsheet (GLF), which would serve as a digital product passport for fishing gear.
• Waste management infrastructure: from the vessel deck to the port, which examines how port facilities can be strengthened and how Blue Points can be integrated into existing waste management systems.

‘The SEARCULAR project has successfully laid the foundations for the future of circular fishing gear. By demonstrating that sustainable, biodegradable and recyclable alternatives are not only viable but also effective under real-world conditions, SEARCULAR has confirmed that sustainable changes can be introduced into traditional fishing gear,’ explains Oihane C. Basurko, SEARCULAR coordinator at AZTI.

A transition requiring the involvement of the entire sector

SEARCULAR has set out a roadmap aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal and demonstrated that rethinking fishing gear design can tangibly reduce its contribution to marine plastic pollution. The next step will depend on the combined involvement of fishers, policymakers, manufacturers, citizens and industry, whose participation will be essential to take these solutions from pilot projects to widespread implementation across European ports.

The complete SEARCULAR policy recommendation package is available on the project website.