Net Free Seas Thailand: Combatting ghost gear in the East Asian Seas case study series

The Net Free Seas (NFS) project was launched to build a circular economy approach to deal with derelict fishing gear and to empower local communities to become part of the solution. Currently, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) works with over 100 artisanal fishing communities in 11 southern provinces across the Gulf of Thailand and along the Andaman Sea. The NFS project recycles three main types of plastic gear: Nylon 6 (or polyamide 6), which is predominantly used in gillnets and other nets, fishing ropes made of polypropylene (PP), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), used in trawl nets. Collected fishing gear is recycled into a wide range of lifestyle products and industrial components by business partners. The 'Combatting Ghost Gear in the East Asian Seas’ case study series is developed by the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) with the aim to share and replicate good practices to prevent, retrieve, manage and recycle end-of-life fishing gear in the region. Case studies are part of the COBSEA ghost gear toolbox.