NICHIMO CO.,LTD. has collected and recycled discarded fishing nets to supply Japan's first polyethylene fishing nets for use in purse seine fisheries. The recipient is Taiyo A&F's Dai-san Fuji Maru, where the nets will be evaluated in practical use.
NICHIMO CO.,LTD. has been developing and using horizontal recycling technology for many years. The process collects used fishing nets, sorts and washes them by material, heats and forms them into pellets, and then produces yarn through spinning and yarn manufacturing to make recycled fishing nets. The company has now established a system for supplying polyethylene fishing nets as its first application of this technology to purse seine fisheries.
Taiyo A&F's Dai-san Fuji Maru was selected as the first recipient in Japan. Purse seine fisheries catch globally traded species such as tuna and skipjack, but the resource and environmental burden of manufacturing nets and the cost of disposing of them remain challenges.
The R&B recycled polyethylene nets supplied are made by collecting unwanted fishing nets, washing them by material type and reprocessing them for reuse as recycled nets. They have already been used in applications such as aquaculture cages, but this is their first application in purse seine fisheries.
Going forward, the company plans to verify their performance and cost under operating conditions in Japan and overseas and continue its technology development. This initiative is based on a survey conducted by NICHIMO CO.,LTD. in September 2026.