#tide becomes an official recycling partner of Sea Shepherd

#tide has entered into a partnership with the environmental protection organization Sea Shepherd Global. Our common goal is to prevent fishing gear that is no longer used from ending up in the sea and causing great damage there. Abandoned fishing in the oceans are around for decades and keep on killing millions of marine animals.

"Ghost Network" is the name of the joint action dedicated to the fight against so-called ALDFG. The abbreviation stands for "abandoned, lost, discarded fishing gear". This can be nets or lines, most of which are made of plastic.

The project is an innovative B2B solution aimed at partnering with businesses to repurpose or recycle recovered fishing gear, in accordance with these five core commandments:

1.    100% Repurposing
2.    No Exclusion of Materials
3.    Traceable through Blockchain
4.    Part Proceeds to Sea Shepherd
5.    Mandatory Sustainable PLM (Product Lifecycle Management)

Ghost Network was inspired after Sea Shepherd activist divers worked for three exhausting days underwater to free a juvenile sperm whale – named “Fury” – who was completely tangled in an illegal fishing net off the Sicilian coast of Italy in July 2020. As can be seen in this short but intense video. Fury's entangled tail is now commemorated in the Ghost Network Logo.

Pilot project in Croatia

Several European chapters of Sea Shepherd have already started to remove ALDFG from the sea, beach or – even better – to collect the no longer needed nets and lines directly from the fishermen before they are even released into the environment. With the Ghost Network these local initiatives are now to be bundled into one comprehensive campaign.

In the pilot phase, the project will focus on Croatia. The local Sea Shepherd Chapter has collected over 20 tons of discarded fishing gear and will work with local the local government to take in even more.

#tide’s role is that of a recycling and value-chain partner. As such picking up the discarded fishing gear collected from the island Općina Kali near Zadar, Croatia and recycle them into plastic granules, a premium raw material that can then be sold to manufacturers. Not only will this keep these old nets out of the ocean – and landfills – but with part proceeds going back to Sea Shepherd, it will also help keep their fleet on the frontlines of marine conservation.

“Sea Shepherd has been fighting to save the oceans for decades. Partnering with them is a great fit for us as an impact driven business. We’re happy to share our technological know-how and provide access to our wide ranging and rapidly growing customer base”, says #tide-founder Thomas Schori.

“With the Ghost Network, Sea Shepherd is not attempting to reinvent the wheel - but instead accelerating existing recycling programs with part proceeds going back to our org. Tide is providing much needed resources and expertise in the area. Thank you for joining us on the journey. Looking forward to positive pilot results from Croatia, so we can build a blueprint for future regions!“, says Jeroen Botter, Sea Shepherd Global Partnerships Director.