Tamil Nadu to open fishnet collection centers in all coastal districts

Chennai: Buoyed by the success of its fishnet collection centre in Kasimedu here that collects abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) from fishermen, the Tamil Nadu government is planning to set up similar hubs in 13 coastal villages spread across the state as part of its efforts to protect the marine environment. 

The initiative was launched in August 2024 as ALDFG is considered to be a major contributor to marine plastic pollution and a cause for major ecological concerns like ghost fishing. This is because in the past few decades, fishermen have been relying on plastic in the form of nets, lines, and traps due to its lightness, durability, and affordability. 

While handing over discarded fishnets, the fisherfolk are provided Rs 40 per kg as an incentive with no deductions for inert materials or moisture content, which serves as an additional income for them even as they contribute to environmental sustainability. Between August 2024 and January 2025, the Kasimedu centre collected 11,189 kg marine litter, more than 97 percent of which were HDPE fishnets, and paid Rs 4.47 lakh to fishermen who handover the discarded nets and other items. 

The new fishnet collection centres will come up in Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari districts. Work on the second centre in Kovalam in Chengalpattu district has already begun, officials told DH.  

The expansion will not just combat marine pollution and support local communities but also focuses on sustainable coastal development, enhancing coastal ecosystem resilience, and improving livelihoods for coastal communities. Since fishermen are paid for handing over the discarded nets, there is a high chance of them bringing the defunct nets to the shore rather than dumping them in the ocean.  

The centers will collect nylon fishnets, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fishnets, HDPE and Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) floaters, PVC & polypropylene (PP) ropes, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) among others. 

“These discarded fishing nets and related products are recycled and processed into pellets or granules, which serve as raw materials for manufacturing a wide range of sustainable products like textiles, industrial materials, construction materials, consumer goods, and household items,” an official told DH.

The official added that awareness activities are also being organised to educate fisherfolk on the impacts of marine debris, such as plastics and discarded fishing gear, which threaten marine life and marine biodiversity. “The collected items are carefully sorted at the fishnet centres and sent for recycling to ensure that they are diverted from marine environments and given a new purpose,” the official added.

A baseline study on marine plastic litter along Tamil Nadu’s vast coastline of 1,076 km across 52 fishing villages covering 13 coastal districts identified around 1.61 lakh items with 6,466.95 kg of ALDFG. The composition of the debris was ALDFG (47.46 per cent), plastics (39.46 per cent), and non-plastics (12.90 per cent). 

Welcoming the expansion of the centers, Geo Damin of environment NGO Poovulagin Nanbargal however stressed that discarded fishing gear form a small portion of the waste generated in the ocean and demanded steps to prevent plastic from entering into the ocean. “Plastic pollution is the biggest problem that the marine ecosystem faces today. Unimaginable chunks of waste, including industrial effluents, are let into the sea and we have to focus on ensuring that this doesn’t happen,” he told DH.