Abandoned fishing nets littering the ocean are being transformed into COVID-19 protective gear in Thailand.
Environmentalists have been working with local fishing communities to rid the country’s waters of the deadly rubbish.
More than 700 fishers are taking part in the project and are being paid for the nets they collect.
Discarded fishing gear is the deadliest form of plastic debris for marine life, responsible for harming 66% of marine mammal species, half of seabird species and all species of sea turtles, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Up to one million tonnes enters the ocean every year.
Campaigners for the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) have been working with members of 47 Thai fishing communities to collect the nets as well as finding ways to stop them from falling into the sea.
The group has also been carrying out clean-up dives with volunteers, one which Sky News joined.
As the divers tipped out the bags they had managed to collect, dead crabs and other crustaceans tumbled out along with an old battery.
“We find everything from [coral] to fish to a whole host of invertebrates,” said Dr Rahul Mehrotra, marine scientist for Aow Thai Marine Ecology Centre (ATMEC), as he sifted through the piles.
“We’ve found at least eight genera of fish which is hundreds of species so far. We’re finding everything from crabs to large murex snails… these nets are designed specifically to entangle and catch marine life, so they are purpose-built to be very effective at that.”
The nets have to be cleaned and separated before being taken to a local recycling factory where they will be shredded and repurposed.
Some have been melted down and turned into COVID-19 protective visors and alcohol spray bottles.
Money from some of the nets is being used to help villages involved in the project adapt to climate change.
“Their reception has been great because they have been the ones who have been exposed to the problem of marine plastic first-hand,” Ms Pakchairatchakul said.
“They have seen how that affects their livelihoods, but our project has been providing them financial benefits as well. When they collect nets for us, they get paid by our recycling partners so that amount of payment goes to support their conservation projects, emergency funds or even their livelihood.”
2021 Sky UK