7th May 2025

A new initiative will see abandoned fishing gear and nets found on the Isles of Scilly transformed into purposeful products, as part of a collaboration between the Duchy of Cornwall and Cornwall-based social enterprise Waterhaul.

As some of the most common, and most lethal, forms of plastic in our oceans, discarded fishing gear poses a significant threat to marine life. This partnership aims to help combat this, by collecting and recycling end-of-life and abandoned fishing gear that would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration. Instead, the materials will be repurposed in the UK into useful products such as sunglasses and litter-picking equipment.

Established in 2018, Waterhaul recovers and recycles marine plastics from the UK coastline to create Traceable Marine Plastic™ polymers which can be used by other brands and manufacturers to create more purposeful products helping to tackle ghost gear in our oceans. So far this year, the organisation has collected and recycled over 27,000 KG of fishing gear from the ocean.

This collaborative partnership will be led by the Duchy of Cornwall’s St Mary’s Harbour team who is joining forces with the Council of the Isles of Scilly, Isles of Scilly Fishermen’s Association, Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, Kraken Marine Services and BIFFA. Together, they will manage the transfer of the waste fishing gear from collection points on Scilly to Waterhaul’s facility in Cornwall.

The first shipment of fishing gear for recycling is expected to leave the Isles of Scilly this month for processing into products that will be available to buy on Waterhaul’s online store.

Dale Clark, Harbour Master at The Duchy of Cornwall, says: “Abandoned fishing gear is a major threat to wildlife in and around the Isles of Scilly – it’s often referred to as ‘ghost gear’ because even though it has been abandoned, it continues to trap and endanger marine animals including seals, fish and seabirds. We’re enormously proud to be involved in this project and doing our part in helping to manage the problem. The cooperation and enthusiasm from the fishermen and our partner organisations has been super and we hope that it inspires others to join in the effort of reducing dangerous fishing waste.”

Harry Dennis, CEO of Waterhaul, says: "We're really excited to be expanding our fishing gear recycling scheme to the shores and harbours of the Isles of Scilly as part of this collaboration. It's a fantastic example of cooperation from multiple stakeholders to collectively achieve a positive environmental impact. We look forward to recycling the first delivery shortly and customers will soon see locations across the Isles of Scilly featuring in our digital traceability system".

Shamus Pender Frazer, Fisherman of Bryher, says: “The fisherman of Scilly welcome the opportunity to work with the team at Waterhaul to reduce and re-purpose end of life fishing gear. We believe we have a responsibility as fisherman to look after and maintain the marine environment and to minimise to the best of our ability any negative impact we may inadvertently have on the ocean. This is why we’re proud to be part of this project, is it removing waste materials from the ocean but its also ensuring the waste is reused, Transforming old nets into new and exciting products. A big thank you to everyone who is involved in making this project happen.”

Matthew Morris, Rural Director at The Duchy of Cornwall, says: “This is a fantastic initiative and fits closely with the Duchy’s ethos of creating a positive impact for people, places and planet. Our Harbour team and local partners on Scilly and in Cornwall are showing great leadership in working to keep the islands’ unique coastline and waters safe and free from waste. It is a small but important contribution to reducing the growing global problem of ocean plastic and microplastic waste.”